5 Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. 6 This is why we can confidently say,
The Lord is my helper,
and I won’t be afraid.
What can people do to me?
Reflection
We have a practice in our family, that when we sit down to have dinner together, we go around and talk about a good thing and a bad thing that happened during our day. I enjoy this practice because it makes us take some time to genuinely think about the blessings we have in our life, even during our ordinary every day routines. Likewise, it helps us put into perspective the things that cause us stress and fear and make us realize that we still have a lot to be thankful for, even when everything is not perfect. This practice ultimately helps me feel content.
Our society has a way of telling us that we cannot be content unless we have a lot of money, look a certain way, or do exciting things. The question remains though, when is enough, enough. There will always be more money to be earned, a “better” way to look, or a more exciting thing to do, but when we are chasing after the things of this world, we will ultimately never feel content. We can only find true contentment in knowing that God will never leave us or abandon us. God will always provide for us. God will always love us. This is the ultimate “good thing.” This is where we can find true contentment. And this is how we can face any of the “bad things” we face in this world and confidently say, “the Lord is my helper and I won’t be afraid.”
by Manny Estevez
For Pondering and Prayer
When have you experienced deep contentment, even without having “everything”?
In what ways does trusting in God’s presence shift your perspective on challenges?
Prayer: Faithful God, thank you for your never-ending presence and blessings on our lives. Despite the bad things we may face in this world, help us to always be content with the tremendous blessings you provide for us. Whatever we may be facing in our lives right now, help us to confidently know that with you as our helper, we have nothing to fear. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
