This past week has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Just when we may have thought things were looking more positive for COVID in Hong Kong, a new cluster quickly formed and many of us learned of family and friends being tested, sent to quarantine facilities, and contracting COVID.
It is easy to allow our mood to be affected by our surroundings. The ups and downs of COVID numbers, the ups and downs of the stock market, the up’s and downs of school in person or online, the ups and downs of life.
I am reminded what the Apostle Paul said when he was facing uncertainty and challenges. From prison he wrote;
“…for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.” Philippians 4:11-12
The root of the word contentment comes from the Latin word “contentus,” which means “held together” or “intact, whole.” Originally, the word was used to describe containers -like buckets and later the term was reflected onto people. Unlike happiness, which is based on eternal surroundings, contentment comes from within.
Being content in prison would not have been easy and being content in the middle of a pandemic is not easy either. But through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul found a sense of wholeness despite his situation and circumstances. As we continue to face the storms of life, my prayer for us is that through the power of the HS we will not be overwhelmed but we will all find the secret in which the Apostle Paul speaks.
Blessings, Pastor Michele