Content in All Circumstances

by Terry Shanahan, Northeast Region Minister

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. Philippians 4:12

One of the great books of all time has to be one by children’s author, Judith Viorst called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I recently found a copy at a yard sale for 25 cents and got reacquainted with the story. Admittedly this is not a theological treatise, and the plot is very thin, but it carries with it a timeless message. If you are unfamiliar with the story, it is about a boy named Alexander, who through various circumstances of life continually declares at each of life’s disappointing events that he is having “A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” At certain intervals in the book, Alexander declares that he thinks he will move to Australia. As this intriguing, fast-moving story comes to a close, and Alexander reflects on the day, he concludes that it indeed has been “ A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” And the book ends when he says, “ My Mom says, some days are like that, even in Australia.”

We can relate to Alexander. Some days are just like that. All of us at times have been buffeted by life’s circumstances. There are days that we could declare to be terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, if it were not for our faith in a God who promises that He is always with us. Life is difficult and challenging. The Bible bears this out. As the Israelites turned on Moses during the journey to the promise land, I am sure there were days that Moses felt were not that stellar. As the Apostle Paul suffered beatings, shipwrecks, and suffering for the cause of Christ, we can only imagine the agony and hardship he experienced.

Yet for an individual devoted to the person of Jesus Christ, each day is a gift from Him. As a disciple of the Lord, we don’t allow our circumstances to determine the quality of our lives. Rather than let our well-being depend on our circumstances and using our energy to try to control the world, we connect our joy to His precious promises including the following:

Joshua 1:5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Or Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

And Romans 8:38–39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Poor Alexander — in his immaturity and lack of faith he only feels happy when things go well, and sad and frustrated when they don’t. We, however, know that it is possible to be content in all circumstances, as the Apostle Paul declares in Philippians 4:12 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.