Boxed In and Content

Ps. 16:6.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Have you ever played the comparison game?

I wonder what it would be like to have so much money that I wouldn’t have to worry about how much I spend.

If only I had a supportive, more Godly husband, then I could be successful in ministry.

Wish I wasn’t caught in the middle of making too much money to qualify for government college grants, yet not enough to keep my child from accruing horrendous debt.  It’s not fair!

If only my boss would appreciate his employees and give raises when they are due!

Maybe it’s health issues or physical features.  Or choices others have made for us that we didn’t have a voice in; we feel limited and helpless.

Whatever it is that tend to suck you into discontentment, remember, God knows your name and your needs.  Those circumstances just might be a set up to lead you to his greatest delight—an intimate relationship with you that is out of the realm of this world.

As I realize the inheritance I have in Him, I can pray,

“Lord, thank you for the boundary lines that have fallen for me in pleasant places.”

If only my husband bought me spontaneous and outrageous gifts….

“Thank you for my steady-Eddy.”

If only I had money to get a manicure every week…

“Thank you for food and housing and my nail file.”

It’s really about learning to be content in a Father who loves us and has promised to meet all our needs.  It’s when his timing and methods don’t make sense, that I need to press in closer to listen to his heart of love and step up my responses to his initiatives of friendship.

The time may come when he moves a boundary line for me. Will I make the adjustment gracefully?   Or he  asks me to push back against an enemy’s encroachment into my territory.  Will I rise and fight?

In those places where I can’t change my lot, Lord,  help me to declare your goodness and embrace the present.  You dwell with me on this acre, and your love never fails.