Secret of Contentment Part III

I had a dream recently that Jesus appeared to me. In the dream I was outside at my school supervising over the lunch hour. It was a rather nice day outside, I could feel the warmth of the sun on my back. There were a group of boys playing basketball on the court beside the school building. I was standing at the corner of the building, with my back to the parking lot, watching them play.

Suddenly, Jesus appeared on the opposite side of the asphalt court and walked through the game towards me. His presence on the court did nothing to disturb the boys' game, no one could see Him but me, I immediately and instinctively knew this. He came to stand in front of me, yet he neither blocked my view nor appeared translucent.

He stood in front of me and said, “You have 50 seconds to put your affairs in order.” There was no question in my mind what He meant. I knew that I had 50 seconds left of my life on this earth. I was not afraid at all. I was supernaturally calm and unbothered by this news. There was no debate within me as to what I would do with the last moments of my life. I would pray. But what to pray? I simply bowed my head and with a peace that passes all understanding, I prayed, “Thank you Father for the blood of Jesus.”

At that moment, in my dream, I was shot from behind at close range. I could feel the impact, and feel blood covering me. I knew I was going to be with Jesus. I smiled.

And then I woke up.

At the moment that we are facing eternity, there is only one thing we need – redemption. And we know Jesus’ finished work on the cross is the only source for that. This is something that Paul obviously knew, for he had said “to die is gain.” From these God-breathed words, we understand clearly that to be in heaven with Jesus surpasses by far anything and everything this world has to offer.

However, as long as we are alive on this earth, it is the now-benefits of having Christ central to our lives that we need. So, what does Paul mean, “to live is Christ”? And, what is his secret of contentment?

I believe that living in contentment is a choice. It is a choice that we can learn to make. It is an exercise of our will not to allow emotions, specifically discontentment, to reign over our lives. Contentment is a choice just as faith is a choice.

There is a little church in my neighbourhood that I pass all the time. They have one of those letter-boards out front. One day the message read, "Contentment is wanting what you have."

You can choose to want what you have. Hmm. This somehow fits with what I've previously posted about an attitude of gratitude. Go figure.

Blessings readers! I love you! Keep coming back, and keep sharing this blog with those you love.