Take Up Your CrossSample

Tranquility

I grew up in a poor, drug-infested neighborhood in Brooklyn. My father was a hard-working welder at the local shipyard. When there were ships in for repair, we had enough to get by. When there weren’t, life got tough.

Years later, I worked on Wall Street for a large investment bank. I had made it.

What struck me was that, despite the higher salary, I still experienced much of the financial stresses that we had when I was a child. I made twice what my father had made, yet I still lived paycheck to paycheck. I still felt that my situation would improve if I could just get a little bit more.

Paul speaks to this situation in his letter to the Philippians.

In it, he explains that through Christ he could handle either circumstance, rich or poor. But notice the ending of this verse. It is one of the most misquoted passages in Scripture: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  As encouraging as that thought is, it cannot be taken out of context. Paul is not saying, “I can do anything I put my mind to because of Christ.” He isn’t saying, “I will pass the test, get the job, or win the contract.” What he says is that he learned how to be content in any circumstance.

True tranquility doesn’t come from achieving success, it comes from learning to be content in every situation. Paul was able to do this because he knew that the real prize is “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

When I learned to be content with what I had, I was able to realize that God was the one supplying my needs. He was the one that I could trust in, not my job, or the size of my paycheck.

It was a good lesson to learn too. In 2008, the investment bank where I worked went out of business and launched a global financial crisis. But for me it was okay. I was content.

When we learn to take our eyes off our situation and place them on the Christ, we can experience tranquility in any and every situation.

Are you content in your current circumstances?

For more help read, “Why Am I Not Happy” on FamilyLife.com.