Philippians 4:12 (NIV)
12 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.
What Paul is talking about is being content whether you are living the life of Reilly…and also finding contentment in when you are most certainly NOT living the life of Reilly. I suspect the secret Paul learned was not to focus on the things we think we should have. We live in an age of consumerism – we’ve all seen the craft rooms with every colour of paper, fabric, or paint; seen the comments where people jokingly (and maybe not so jokingly) say they are jealous and that it’s their dream…I have one of those craft rooms – which I am now currently downsizing because I DO NOT NEED to HAVE all that stuff. Paul instead focused on the things he was suppose to be DOING.
We tend to fill the voids in our lives with STUFF. Which at the end of the day has the spiritual equivalent of a bowl of Honeycomb; sure it’s tasty, but you’re ravenous come lunch time.
Ask yourself this…What do you gravitate towards when you feel empty? If it’s something material in nature, do you find true contentment? Or it is a quick fix that like the bowl of sugary cereal fills the hole, but doesn’t give lasting sustenance?
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