Be Content

Any warrior who has been out in the field for any length of time has found the joy of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). . . every day. . . for every meal. They’re a lot better now than they used to be, but they’re still meals in a can or pouch, waiting to be reconstituted into what should pass for a meal. And what warrior hasn’t heard other warriors grousing about the MREs.

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13, NKJV).

This might be a simple example, but it makes a point. It’s a lot easier to complain about things than to be thankful. In fact, it seems the more we have, the more dissatisfied and unthankful we become. We haven’t learned that things can’t satisfy, and complaining can’t change the situation. But the apostle Paul knew the secret: Learn to be content! Regardless of the conditions—good or bad, full or hungry, poor or rich, everything going well or everything going wrong—contentment is the key. A complainer isn’t trusting Christ. A grouser isn’t looking to see what God is doing through the situation.

Develop the art of thanking God for the good things in your life, as well as the challenging people or situations that you complain about the most. Thank God for your housing, for your duty station, even for your commander. Thank God for your spouse and children, and thank Him for the life you have been given. With God’s help, whether you “abound” or “suffer need,” you can learn to be content, knowing that God knows you and your situation. Then you will find God’s strength in every situation to “do all things through Christ.”