Contentment - Calm My Anxious Heart

Have you ever pondered this thought, that what we are on the inside, what we continually think about, eventually shows in our words, actions, and even on our countenance? Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Do we live our lives with this in view or do we live our own private interpretation of this verse? Are we content with what God has chosen to give us, or do we have an unholy habit of discontent.

In her book Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow introduces us to a lady who lived her life in light of Philippians 4:8. Ella is her name, a woman of clear vision and eternal perspective. Her disposition was truly marked by a holy habit of contentment.

Ella, along with her husband and children worked as a missionary in Africa for fifty-two years. She left her country, her family and all that was familiar. The word primitive doesn’t even begin to describe her living conditions. Imagine the scorching heat and humidity of the African bush with no electricity, air-conditioning, and all the other modern conveniences we so often take for granted. There were days that were so unbearably hot that she had to bring the thermometer inside because it couldn’t register 120 degrees without breaking.

So how was Ella able to discover true contentment? This is her prescription to living a contented life:

Never allow yourself to complain about anything – not even the weather.
Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.
Never compare your lot with another.
Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
Never dwell on tomorrow – remember that tomorrow is God’s not ours.

How could this woman not complain of the weather when perspiration dripped off her, when the stale, humid air kept her from sleeping? What made her everyday focus so different from ours? The secret is Ella lived with her eyes fixed on eternity. Her tomorrows belonged to God. She had given them to Him. Because her tomorrows were nestled in God’s strong arms, she was free to live one day at a time. Ella possessed a soul sufficiency, a peace separate from her circumstances. Ella’s focus was eternal, and her focus led to an eternal contentment. ~ Rhonda Calabello