Christian Contentment

The morning routine was broken by a phone call; my father had died suddenly of a heart attack. Though many years ago, I still remember the shock, confusion, and grief of that day. At any moment, the ordinary can be interrupted by what we perceive as bad news, and we are faced with decisions, responses. A puritan pastor, Jeremiah Burroughs, once offered this description of Christian contentment: that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition. Lord, I desire to be well skilled in the mystery of Christian contentment, that I may say with Paul, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." (Philippians 4:11)