Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. All of my senses came alive when I met with the Master this morning. The fields were cut yesterday and the smell of fresh cut hay was heavenly. I watched a few deer run across the fields as if they were protesting the cutting of their hiding place. I could hear the cries of a mourning dove and the other birds sounded as if they were trying to keep of with that beautiful sound. If all I did this morning was to give thanks for the Hand of my Creator and all of His splendor it would have been enough for me. But we always have a whole lot more Heavenly business to do especially over things in my life that aren’t so beautiful; so to His Throne I went. Acknowledging the Good is one thing; being willing to seek His Face and to abide by His Instructions over the not-so-good is another. Isn’t that the way you see it too?

It’s a blessing to be content in life, but finding true contentment is a choice and it takes a lot of work. Every life has trials and tribulations and plenty of heartbreak. Being content doesn’t mean that we’ve slipped by without those things, it means that we see them as Steps in the Right direction instead of seasons to make us miserable. We see them as an opportunity to learn and an opportunity to improve. We see them as having a multi-faceted Purpose instead of a direct hit on our world. We see them as a chance to make our character stronger and our hearts softer. Sometimes we see them as “taking one for the Team” so that our experiences can be used to walk someone else through the same thing one day. There is no place for pity parties if we want to find true contentment in life because nothing we experience is intended to be against us; it’s intended to be FOR us and for His Purpose for our Lives. It’s when we overlook the Hand of God and we refuse to Trust His Will for us that we lose our peace and we toss our contentment into the abyss.

Every single person we read about in the Bible went through the Fire of Trials to build their Character into one that could be used by the King AND one that was worthy to share with the World. These are our role models and our mentors. From the murderers to the rapists, from thieves to the harden hearts and the broken hearts…there are lessons of Victory (and comfort) that comes from each one of them, and it was the Trial that transformed them into people “the world was not worthy of”. Most of us require a lot of trials to build our Character, but trials require that we be willing to put ourselves “out there” and most people are too cowardly or to vain to do that so they choose to hide in a foxhole instead. Living in a foxhole is a safe place to be, and you probably won’t see a lot of turmoil if you stay there; but there is no life and no joy and no growth and no Purpose in a foxhole. Some of us go through unbelievable Trials, but when we get to Victory; we refuse to share with the World. Withholding His Work out of pride or arrogance serves no Purpose at all, because it’s the getting-to-Victory-part that is an opportunity to give Glory to the Mighty God who sees us through. True contentment comes by understanding the Journey and being willing to run the Race through it all.

I enjoyed His Splendor from the front porch this morning and I refused to dwell on the imperfections of this old farm. It’s a perpetual work in progress just like I am, and somehow all of its flaws remind me of mine. Some of the “flaws” are War Wounds and some of them signs of a little wear and tear necessary on the Journey to Victory. But all of the “flaws” are signs of Living outside of a foxhole and they are proof of true Contentment that can only be found when we mix the Good with the not-so-good and we never stop chasing the Victory.

Find your contentment today.