Contentment

After a wonderful day with some dear missionary friends of mine who are on deputation I have curled up in bed and started reading my summer reading :) I must say I am loving this book "Did I kiss marriage goodbye?" She poses a question in this book that is true in any area of our lives. What we have, who we are, what we do all comes from a loving heavenly father and is only allowed as it fits in His eternal purposes. This is one of her quotes that really stands out in her book. "We are single today because God apportioned us this gift today." We can say that with any situation in our lives. We are this person or that person or we have this thing or that things because God apportioned us this gift today. Our very life is a gift of God and for us to shake our fist in God's face and say why haven't you given me this is...quite frankly...acting like a spoiled child at Christmas who didn't get the specific toy they wanted. Oh what a patient loving heavenly father we have. If I were a parent and I had a child act the way I act to God sometimes I'm not sure the child would last very long. :)
Another thought in the content vein and a note to married people... "I've often hear married people say to singles that we won't get married until we're content in our singleness, but I humbly submit this is error. I'm sure that it is offered by well-meaing couples who want their single friends happy and content in God's provision, but it creates a works-based mentality to receiving gifts, which can lead to condemnation. The Lord doesn't require that we attain a particular state before He grants a gift. We can't earn any particular spiritual gift any more than we can earn our own salvation. It's all of grace. However, we should humbly listen to our friends and receive their input about cultivation contentment; we just shouldn't attach it to the expectation of a blessing.
Oh may each of us learn how to be content with what God has given us, where he has placed us, and what He has assigned us to do.