Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
-Philippians 4:11 NLT
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
From Strength for Today: “Paul had made huge mistakes and caused tremendous pain that scarred his past, but his life changed dramatically when he met Jesus. He began to help others and share himself vulnerably. Instead of bullying his way to victory, he would sometimes go hungry. Instead of being celebrated, he would sometimes suffer loss.”
I’m no Paul (I’ve never gone hungry for one), but I changed when I met Jesus in my heart. Being stubborn, that change continues to be slow. My wife didn’t a chance to see the changes. She passed away a few short months after we were Baptized. She seemed to know so much. I wonder if she saw the changes beginning. She always saw potential in me that I thought I had squandered in my scarred past.
Contentment is tricky. I love myself for what I have become and I love the greater self yet to be revealed.
I love that my boys have been here to see me grow in God’s love. I hope my mistakes can serve as guardrails for their own journeys and that they understand that none of this would have been possible before I saw myself as a child of God.