I really appreciated Shawn's authenticity and courage this week as he shared about his thorn in the flesh. I am sure that many folks have asked God to remove difficulties, situations, problems, obstacles, heartache and illnesses from their lives and have not gotten the answer they were looking for. The better and harder prayer is to ask that God help them glorify Him through the thorn.
The word that resonated with me from the sermon is Contentment, which needs to be learned. Philippians 4:11-13 says I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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.
How often do we tell ourselves, "If only I had this kind of car or that kind of house or the kind of vacations or meals that all my Facebook friends seem to have all the time...then I would be content." The truth is that if we are not content with what we have now, we will not be content with what we think we want.
The ultimate wiseguy Solomon said this in Ecclesiastes 5:10-11: Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. He should know as his wealth would be worth over 2 Trillion of today's dollars, and he tried every flavor of indulgence in coming to his summary of the meaning of life in Ecclesiastes 12:13, which reads: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Let us learn to be content with what we have and at the end of it all, may we hear those words from our Father, "Well done good and faithful servant."