Title: Same Town, Same Job, Same People Date: 1.4.15 Series: NA Text: NA Synopsis: So it’s 2015 and I’m stuck in the same town, doing the same job, with the same people. Sound familiar? For many of us, a new year can accentuate feelings of frustration and a lack of contentment. We know we are supposed to be content. We’ve read about it in the Bible. We are reminded of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi wherein he writes, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Phil. 4:12,13). It’s wonderful promise that in all of our circumstance, good or bad, through God’s grace and divine empowerment we can find contentment in Jesus Christ. But we must also remind ourselves that when Paul wrote this, he was under house arrest in Rome and bound in chains. He was petty miserable and he wanted to be free. Just because God strengthens us through difficult times doesn’t mean we are always supposed to be miserable. But what makes a human happy? From regional government to the United Nations, leaders look at a number of indices that determine human happiness. These indices cover a range of topics from health, housing, education, civic engagement, employment, life satisfaction, etc. While these metrics can be fairy complicated, for most of us it tends to come down to three fundamental issues…what we have (or don’t have), what we do, and whom we do it with. If we have the things in our lives that allow us to live with human dignity such as housing, access to health care, nutrition, transportation, education, etc. and if we are able to do the things that bring us satisfaction either through employment, recreation or volunteerism, we tend to be more content. As important as these metrics are, the most important metric of all is the people we do life with. A 1979 study by Lester Milbrath concluded, “Subjective studies of quality of life have typically shown that most people derive their greatest sense of quality from their home and family life and from the close supportive relationships they have with friends and colleagues.” As we come into 2015 evaluate your life through these metrics. Do you have the things necessary to live your life generously and with dignity? Do you do things that bring satisfaction to your life and make the world a better place? Do you have loving, supportive relationships that add value to your life? If you don’t have these things, what are you going to do to attain them? Do you need more training or education to make a better living or to work in a more satisfying job? Do you need to separate from negative or needy people and seek out more positive, fulfilling relationships? If you do have these things, what can you do to help others have them as well? In the end, there are a lot of things in life that we can’t change. But there are many things we can. Focus on the things you can change and trust God with what you can’t. I think it’s going to be a great year!
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 21:21:51 +0000
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