“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”. ~ Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
Did you know that contentment means satisfaction? Well at least according to my on-line source, Webster. To be more exact it says: “…to limit (oneself) in requirements, desires, or actions”.
In a way it was good that Carol at She Lives tagged me this weekend. It helped me to reflect on the desires, or dreams if you will, I had 10 years ago.
You see 10 years ago I worked so hard that I didn’t had time for God, my family or even time to spend the hard earned cash. Was it truly worth to have no time for God, my Sweetheart or our son? To be honest; it was not. Sure it was nice to be able to buy our first house, but I think we could’ve done it without the long hours worked. For one thing, I was never home to ‘enjoy’ our house. When I was home, I crashed because I was tried, physically and mentally.
God had a great plan though for me. The company I was working for lost major contracts and couldn’t keep some of their time commitments. Growing pains, I guess. Some new mangers were ‘shipped in’ to turn the boat around (till this day I think it wasn’t the right thing to do). Anyway, I was ready to change jobs.
I looked and looked. Everyone thought that I was ‘too expensive’ due to my experience and work history. One morning, as I was driving past a ‘sister congregation’, I just prayed: “Lord, if there is a place for me in that church body, let me know, somehow. I am tired, I am burned out. Help me!” The following Sunday, that particular church had an ‘ad’ in our church bulletin. They were looking for an Office manager with accounting and payroll experience. I almost dropped to the floor. I couldn’t believe my eyes. So here I am now, working for a ‘sister congregation’.
You wonder why I tell you this story? What does this have to do with contentment. I tell you. A lot! Yes, I made about $9,000 more a year for that company. I would probably make more if I would work for “Corporate America”! But to tell you the truth, I don’t think I would be better off! I am content with the life I have. I am no longer spiritual wasteland, my marriage is stronger and I have a roof over my head. What else do I need?
Sure, I still have dreams. But the fulfillment of those dreams depend on God and His leading and not mine…
But godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 (NIV)
Please submit your Carnival entry on ‘Contentment’ this week to Bethany at ‘A Picturesque Life‘. Deadline for your entry is February 7th, 3pm EST. I hope to see you there.
Isn’t it amazing where God leads us? Some things you think are the best really aren’t . . . and something that can seem less is more . . .
God led me out of my job as controller of a large steel fabricator in May 2004 when the company went bankrupt. Since then I’ve been working for my husband, getting paid a lot less, but have had much more time to spend with God and my family. I know what you mean!
Great post Iris! So many things are more important than money. 😛
(Thanks for sending it in early too! :P)
Good post! I am glad God is at work in your life. I read somewhere recently, (I can’t remember where) “If we aren’t seeking the kingdom first, then we aren’t seeking it at all.”
I just found your site last Friday and this was such a good post for me! I am deeply unhappy with my job and I know it is time for a change and I needed the reminder to look for God’s leading and not my own.
I am blessed by your visits and humbled that God lead you here.
Paula – yes God does amazing things.
Janna – it is awesome that God always uses something bad in our life to make it come out good. 🙂
Bethany – yes our realationships are more important than any bottom line on my paycheck. I was hostess last week, so I thought to send in earlier than I normally do. 🙂
Gordon Cloud & Heaven11 – very pleased to ‘meet’ you. I hope to stop by your blogs this week to see what God is doing in your lives.
What a great post Iris and a great reminder that there are far more important things in life than money. Even with that, God can take care of our money stuff if we let him.
I stay home with my children, but I pray daily (or nearly) for my husband to be successful…in God’s eyes. This is the success that brings contentment. I like the definition of limiting yourself. I mention a book at my contentment post by Jeremiah Burroughs, and it emphasizes tightening the belt or wanting what you get instead of getting what you want. Great perspective!
We can never go wrong when following God’s lead. Thank you for sharing this experience with us, Iris.
It’s funny about that “Remembering” meme that you and Carol did. It made me reflect on a lot of things, seeing God’s handiwork in my life now as compared to a decade ago. I forget that He KNOWS the big picture already! It’s hard for me to be content when I feel like I’m in control; I’m not. I’m in the passenger seat, going along for the ride. That’s really neat how God opened the door for you to find a great job!
I’ve been remembering how much I used to enjoy teaching — maybe I’ll get back to it someday. I guess that’s why I like to blog!
Glad you have a job you like. I often dream of working in a Christian setting but for now I’m stuck with corporate. I can’t complain, but I spend alot of time daydreaming about the Lord. We’ll see what he has in store for me.