Lately God has been teaching me what it means to be content. The need for me to be content came up when I was scrolling through my instagram feed. As I was scrolling through I began to feel dissatisfied. In comparison to other people's much more interesting profiles I was pretty boring. My life compared to theirs was pretty low key. And it was in that moment as I began to feel jealousy whelm up in me that I knew I was in the wrong. I was comparing the wonderful life that God has blessed me with to somebody else. God didn't make me them; He made me me. He chose me to be Leah. Sometimes my life may not always be perfect, but that's ok. My life maybe filled with struggles and fears and insecurities and opsticals and tears, but it's also filled with triumph and courage and confidence and victory and laughter and smiles and most importantly God. Philippians 4:12-13 says "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength". All I have is Jesus. Without him I wouldn't have even made this blog. My life would look completely different without him. The only good things about me came from him. So I can't be content, not on my own. I need Jesus to take the jealousy that I have and replace it with gratitude and contentment. So instead of pouting about what I don't have, I'm going to be celebrating about what I do. It's not going to be easy, but I know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. So the challenge this week for you (and myself) is to be content.
4:12 Challenge is all about challenging others in their faith while we're being challenged in our own. If you're interested in being apart of what we do email us at [email protected]!
Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't posted anything on the blog the last few months. I've been overwhelmed with lots to do. However it's finally summer and I'm going to try to keep up to date with everything:) You can follow me on twitter @412Challenge or email at [email protected]. Thanks for your support!
I love shopping. Especially with my friends. I'm pretty good at it too.I love finding a good deal or a perfect outfit and buying it. I'm also pretty good at spending money. But why do I shop? Technically, I have everything I need. I don't really need another dress or pair of shoes so why buy more? Because I want more. "More", it's one of the first words we learn as a kid because we naturally crave more. Living in America I'm very familiar with the battle against materialism. According to Webster-dictionary.com materialism is "a way of thinking that gives too much importance to material possessions rather than to spiritual or intellectual things". I can only speak for myself personally but I think we can all agree that we to have bought into this kind of thinking. Just yesterday I was scrolling through my clothes board on Pinterest when I thought to myself that I would be so much happier if I had all the adorable outfits I had pinned. I had bought into materialism. I had given a significant amount of importance to whether or not I did or did not have something. Something so trivial. But it goes deeper. My happiness had become dependent on what I was wearing and what I looked like. You see happiness is based upon your circumstances. If your circumstances are bad you're not happy. If your circumstances are good you're happy, at least for a little while. Until we want more. Joy, true long lasting joy comes from only one thing and that is Jesus Christ. You see joy is based not on circumstances but on the over all out come of a situation. That's why we as Christians can have joy all the time. We have already won. When we die, we get to spend eternity with Christ. We've beaten death and that is why we can have joy.
In the first few verses of Ecclesiastes it says "Everything is meaningless". The passage continues to talk about how wealth and knowledge ultimately amounts to nothing. The only thing that matters in the end is our relationship with God. Relationship is the only eternal thing we have in life. All of our possessions are meaningless. They are a "chasing after the wind". So my challenge for you is to invest in the things that matter. Invest in God and the people around you. People's souls are eternal (clothes on the other hand is not). Share Christ with others and let them know how much you care about them. Chose to make a difference starting with the relationships that matter. |
AuthorHi! My name is Leah. I'm seventeen years old and a senior in high school. Archives
August 2015
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