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Tag Archives: contentment

Mar152021Feb 26 2021

Covenant With a Cranky Woman

by Christina Fox, in category Uncategorized

SUSAN TYNER|CONTRIBUTOR

Do you tend to avoid cranky people? Go out of your way to avoid the teen who just got grounded or an exhausted coworker who started her day by stepping on a Lego?

But what if I am the cranky one? I can’t escape me. Sure, I have tricks up my sleeve to stuff my frustrations so I can function at work. I can fix a smile during lunches with friends so I do not hint at the dark musings of my heart. However, my guard drops back at home and my crankiness is more obvious as I bang dinner dishes, yell “shut up” to the dogs, or give the silent treatment to my family. I see them avoid me, and I wish I could escape from my cranky self, too.

I wonder if Naomi felt the same way.

In the Book of Ruth we see Naomi’s story unfold. Her family left Bethlehem and went to Moab in search of bread, and though they found actual bread, they did not find what they really went for: health and life. Ten years later, Naomi’s husband and boys are dead, and she is left alone except for her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. A widow without male protection doesn’t have many options. She hears the famine back home is over and returns, her daughter-in-law Ruth in tow. They arrive back in Bethlehem, and Naomi tells her hometown friends, “I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Don’t call me by my old name, Naomi (“pleasant”) but call me Mara (“bitter”).”

Empty. Bitter. Maybe even a little cranky?

In chapter 2, Naomi comes across almost numb and depressed when Ruth goes to find work in the fields. Only when Ruth mentions the name Boaz do we see a spark as Naomi responds, “blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead” (Ruth 2:20). By the end of the story, we see Boaz taking both widows into his family and Naomi holding a grandbaby. But even though the writer does not explicitly say it, the real hero is God, not Boaz. We as the audience see what was happening all along. God was sticking close to Naomi because she was part of His family. Another way to describe His loving-kindness is with the term covenant, a solemn promise that God would never leave His children, His sheep.

Covenant even with the cranky.

In the flock of God, Naomi was a cranky sheep and God kept His covenant with her anyway. Sometimes you and I are cranky sheep, too. Perhaps our losses of dreams, expectations, or loved ones leave us dry and brittle. Or maybe we look up one day, and we are far from the community of God’s people and don’t like how our cynicism compares with their contentment. We wonder if God wants to avoid us because we are really not that fun to be around.

Thankfully, God doesn’t keep His covenant promises only to the happy faces, the productive hands, and the hearts that sing with VBS vigor, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.”  He sticks with cranky women too—the women out of energy to pray; women bitter from hard work and empty bank accounts; and women haunted by mistakes that can’t be undone.

Where do I go if I’m cranky?…

Nov232020Nov 12 2020

So Grateful, So Grateful

by Christina Fox, in category Thanksgiving

My friend was telling me the saga of her teenage son’s illness. As a Down syndrome child, he had trouble enough with swallowing and digestion. But then he developed urgent issues that landed him in the hospital, and even after getting home, he could not eat solid food for almost two months. She and her son, both Christians, prayed together for mercy and healing, but it was a tough road to recovery. She described his first taste of normal food: a few potato chips. She told me that with each bite, he murmured, “So grateful. So grateful.”

What she hadn’t expected is that he continues to say the same with each bite, days later. “So grateful, so grateful.”

I carry a humbled admiration at a boy feeling such a sustained yet spontaneous gratitude for the simple blessing of healthy eating. What pleasure that must bring to God’s heart.

As I have studied the conclusion of I Thessalonians 5, I find this little volley of exhortations:

“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.” As I have turned these over in my mind the last several weeks, I’ve sensed that they are almost the same command stated three ways. Finding things to rejoice over and thank God for constantly will require ceaseless prayer, not only for expression to God but to seek His voice and vision for the good in all circumstances. If we give thanks in all circumstances, we will rejoice. We will offer those thanks by praying as much as we rejoice. It all goes round in a wonderful wreath of heartfelt communion with the Lord…

Oct242019Sep 27 2019

The Secret to Contentment

by Christina Fox, in category Thought Life

My sister sent me pictures of her family’s new house. This was the first time they were home-owners, and I was ecstatic for them. As I scrolled through photos, I was astonished at the great work they did remodeling, decorating, and making the house their home. I was thankful with my sister for such a great blessing.

Until I saw her sink.

When I saw her sink, something happened inside of me. It was a large, farmhouse sink, and I found myself spending an excessive amount of time on the picture of the sink. I enlarged the sink; I looked at all of the sink’s details apparent in the photo; I drooled over the sink, and then I promptly texted my husband and informed him that we needed a new sink.

“Why? Our sink is perfectly fine.”

“Because. We need a new one.”

“What kind of sink?”

“A farmhouse one. I’ll send you a picture…”

I literally pulled out the measuring tape and began measuring the countertops to see how complicated it was going to be to install my new sink. It wasn’t until later that evening, after googling over an hour “how to install a farmhouse sink,” that I had a convicting realization: I’m being ridiculous.

But envy does this. It sneaks in deceptively, though often quickly, and entices us to want what we don’t have. Whether or not we actually need it becomes a moot point because our desire to have better – to have more – overtakes our ability to be content with what is right in front of us. It’s a beast that is difficult to overcome, but if we don’t fight against it, we hold contentment at bay and settle for a spirit of dissatisfaction…

Feb112019Jan 14 2019

Weighing In: A Story of Spiritual and Physical Health

by Christina Fox, in category Encouragement

RENEE MATHIS|CONTRIBUTOR

This is not a dieting success story. I’m not a weight-loss wiz-kid.  I do have a “before” picture, but as of this writing I’m still 6.9 lbs. from a significant goal – and that one is probably far from “final.”

No, when it comes to weight loss, this is not the blog post I thought I’d write:

I’m slow. At age 55, I’ve been at this seriously for four and a half years. I get the Turtle Award.

I’m not here to promote a philosophy, method, author, or product. What worked for me may not work for you. No magic tricks here.

I’m not privy to The Bible’s Key to Your Weight Loss Secrets. Those were never revealed to me nor did the Lord lead me to write devotions on the beauty of Brussels sprouts.

In my version of my story I would be creating 4 star meals that are simple, healthy, and delicious. I would be the model of consistency and self-control. I would show up to the trendy exercise classes in neon-colored leggings with coordinated tank top and have defined upper arms that are the envy of, well, every woman who knows exactly what “flap” means. Since my version never happened, I guess God must have had something different in mind.

When God writes our story, it’s always far better than anything we could imagine.

Sep132018Sep 13 2018

Contentment is Great Gain

by Christina Fox, in category Encouragement
MEGAN HILL|GUEST One day every year, the fast food restaurant Chick Fil-A offers a free meal to anyone who comes to the restaurant dressed as a cow. Franchises fill with customers wearing white t-shirts painted with black spots, triangular ears sewn to headbands, and tails pinned to the seat of their pants. Waiting in the… Read More
May312018May 7 2018

Finding Home Wherever You Are

by Christina Fox, in category Encouragement
HEATHER NELSON|CONTRIBUTOR I've been thinking about "home" a lot lately. Obsessing over it might be a more accurate description. My family doesn't have a home of our own right now. And after 11+ years of dwelling in our own home, it's different. We originally thought it would just be a few weeks, maybe two months… Read More
May212018Mar 29 2018

Finding Contentment in Motherhood

by Christina Fox, in category Motherhood
EMILY DAGOSTIN|GUEST Last year the stomach bug held my whole family hostage the week before Thanksgiving, so I turned to the one foolproof, self-medicating outlet within my grasp: Netflix. Since I was able to keep down a few saltine crackers, I decided my stomach could handle viewing a few episodes of The Great British Baking… Read More
Apr262018Mar 19 2018

A Dog, Heart Idols, and Sanctification

by Christina Fox, in category Sanctification
BARBARANNE KELLY|GUEST Who doesn’t love dogs? Dogs are loyal, loving, fun to play with, soft to touch, and a visual representation of happiness with their waggity tails. Dogs are unarguably a good gift from God. I’m not a Dog Person, but I’m also not (theoretically) opposed to dogs. Cats are my pet of choice, but… Read More
Mar192018Mar 4 2018

Longing for Home

by Christina Fox, in category Encouragement
KATY BRINK|GUEST In my life as an expat, I cannot escape wrestling with the idea of home and how to handle the tension of having multiple earthly homes (and occasionally the sense that I have none at all). My heightened focus on home right now stems both from what I’ve recently read and from what… Read More
Aug242017Aug 20 2017

Embrace the Humble Swagger

by Christina Fox, in category Encouragement

HOLLY MACKLE|CONTRIBUTOR Let’s be frank, I’m writing this for one reason: to impress my husband who used to write music reviews for CCM magazine. My taste in tunes normally has a richer, more melodic, high art quality, deeper bass line than what he prefers to listen to, and we full-out agree on few artists. Right… Read More

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