Fruit Check Friday

Happy Friday, ladies!


So I just finished reading a great book called Lady in Waiting: Becoming God's Best While Waiting for Mr. Right by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones. The friend who just got married this past weekend loaned it to me last year and I am just now reading it, haha! But I did enjoy this book and it has really made me search my heart. Though this book is intended for singles, I think it can also apply to those who are dating/courting, married, or divorced. 

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For Fruit Check Friday, I was inspired by this book to write on contentment and patience. I will focus on contentment today and patience on the next Fruit Check Friday. 

So, what is contentment? According to Merriam-Webster, it is "the state of being happy and satisfied; the state of being content." What does it mean to be content? To be "pleased and satisfied; not needing more."

This subject really took hold of my heart. Why? Because discontentment lurked in the deep crevices of my heart. Although I hated to admit it, I wasn't content in just Jesus alone. He was not enough. 

That's a pretty eye-opening thing to say. Think about it. How many of us say "Oh, I would be so much more happy if I had             "? When we say this, we are basically telling God that we need Him and something(s) or someone else to make us fully satisfied. And that also makes us pretty darn prideful, don't you think? We not only tell God that we need more than Him, but we also tell Him what we need and deserve to feel content, which is basically saying that we want life on our terms. 

Sis, we have to realize that God created this void in our hearts that can only be filled and satisfied by Him alone. Not a man, not a baby, not a house, not a car, etc. Psalm 16:11 says "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." See, He will fill you with joy and contentment when we decide to focus on being in His presence, rather than focusing on what we think we need.

One of my favorite verses I like to recite when I feel a bit of discontentment rising in me is when Paul in Philippians 4:11-13 says: 

"Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Fun fact: Paul actually wrote this while he was in prison! The key to Paul's contentment: simply relying on Jesus to strengthen and complete you, even in times of discomfort.

Okay, so how do we start budding some fruit of contentment on our tree? As with everything, we first take it to God. Be honest with Him and tell Him you're discontent. Ask Him to help you find contentment each day, and then leave your discontentment there at His feet. Next, make a commitment to fight for contentment daily: count your blessings, stop checking your biological clock, stop stalking and envying what the Jones' have, surrender your life and timetable to God and stop trying to live life on your terms. 

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I so want to write so much more on this but I encourage you, Dear Sisters, to run to our Heavenly Father and open your Word, and allow Him to prune your tree so that your fruit of contentment can truly grow. We're all in this together!

Love you, sis!

Tiffany