Philippians 4:13 says we "can do all things through Christ who strengthens" us. That doesn't mean Jesus makes you fly or win football games or get a perfect score on the SAT if you're not a genius. The Greek word "all things" is grammatically linked to the "circumstances" Paul already mentioned in Php 4:11 when he wrote: "I have learned to be content in all circumstances." His faith in Christ gave him the ability to be content no matter what he faced.
My experience has been that we don't approach life like Paul did. We normally pursue discontentment because we can't get our eyes off the desire for "more" and "better." Despite the built-in simple pleasures of life (a gift from God according to Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:12) and the deep experiences of love, purpose and grace that Jesus embodies, we focus on what isn't good. We obsess about how we want it to be in the future, and we miss the goodness in the now.
There is "a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance" (Eccles 3:4). But it is always time to be content. We unintentionally pursue discontentment when we use God as one more reason to obsess about something "better" and "bigger" in the future. Maybe it's time to embrace what's in front of you. Take your eyes off the horizon and settle into the goodness of life you can taste right now, no matter how small that good is.
My experience has been that we don't approach life like Paul did. We normally pursue discontentment because we can't get our eyes off the desire for "more" and "better." Despite the built-in simple pleasures of life (a gift from God according to Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:12) and the deep experiences of love, purpose and grace that Jesus embodies, we focus on what isn't good. We obsess about how we want it to be in the future, and we miss the goodness in the now.
There is "a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance" (Eccles 3:4). But it is always time to be content. We unintentionally pursue discontentment when we use God as one more reason to obsess about something "better" and "bigger" in the future. Maybe it's time to embrace what's in front of you. Take your eyes off the horizon and settle into the goodness of life you can taste right now, no matter how small that good is.
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