the art of being ok.

i feel that contentment is one of the trickiest practices to learn.
our culture wires us from childhood to constantly be on the lookout for the next thing. i mean think about it, every single time i got a new barbie doll or polly pocket i was happy for about 24 hours, then boom, i was ready for a new one. it's been the same way with every cell phone i've had, every car, every article of clothing...basically it goes for everything, and that's truly sad.
i think the problem is that we have exceptionally short attention spans. we sincerely delight in a good thing for a very little while and then we get tired of it and are ready to move onto the next thing.

i've been thinking about this in conjunction with Jesus lately.
i think contentment is another huge area that the world should see how Christ in us makes us different. the world tells us to be discontent, tells us to constantly be seeking new, but Jesus says "love Me and only Me". He tells us to not be led astray by the passions of the flesh and i sincerely think that a passion of the flesh is for new, that's why adultery and covetousness are issues...at least that's the way that i see it. but really, Jesus first asks us to be content with Him, and honestly this should be easy because nothing can compare to the perfection of our Savior, but sin creeps in and makes it complicated. we start to replace an infinite God, with finite pleasures. how messed up are we? we loose sight of the most perfect gift that we could ever receive and replace Him with the broken gifts of a broken world, our eyes get distracted by the glitter that covers up the filth. i pray that the light of the cross be brighter than the shimmer of the world.

anyway, on the one hand we are constantly battling idolatry, yet we are simultaneously fighting against another beast that i believe fits into a completely different category. first we have discontentment in possession, the things we feel that we own which leads to the formation of idols, then we have discontentment in position...this is my struggle. i do well in an environment for a little while, but pretty darn quickly i'm over it and start itching for the next opportunity. now don't get me wrong i think that dreaming is vital, but at the same time taking advantage of the opportunity in which you have been placed is also vital, potentially more vital. personally i like change, i like the thrill of stepping into a new place where i don't know anyone and am free to begin anew, i always have. Here's the deal though, that's not always going to happen, sometimes we are going to be planted in one place for an unknown amount of time, for an unknown reason. For instance, right now i am at UofA and in fayetteville for a purpose that i would like to think is very specific and meaningful(and don't get me wrong i truly do love it), but at the same time my mind is currently in some sort of weird limbo. i want to be content and joyful where God has placed me, because i think that shows Him that i trust Him and desire to be where He wants me, but at the same time my heart is longing for adventure. big time. i want to pack up my car and drive my way into a new adventure. maybe the thing is that God is preparing my heart for a change, trying to detach me from NWA, or maybe its satan trying to weasel his way in and make me desire everything that's not here. Cause the truth is there are a lot of things in my path that i really love, a lot of things that tie my heart to the right now, like my family, my cell group, my dear friends, my crosslands, and NLR. Yet i keep catching my heart as it gazes longingly at the road map. i wish that it could focus on today, because heres my fear, that i will get so caught up in dreams that i miss out on the beauty of reality. cause it's happened before. i don't want to miss out on what Jesus is trying to teach me today. i know that He's got a plethora of things to teach me in NWA and i would hate to miss out on a single one...in fact, the art of being ok is probably one of those lessons, He is daily showing me that no matter where i am doesn't matter, as long i'm there with Him. that is the art of being ok folks. ii can always be ok, always be joyful, always be content, because of Jesus Christ. what beautiful truth. He is the one that makes my everyday worth living in. He is so good. the world will see Jesus through our ability to be ok no matter where we are, no matter what we have.

Jesus. today help me to be ok.
this world is not enough for me.

abbie.