Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:11-13

Almost two decades have passed since I was an eighteen-year-old high school graduate ready to leave my small town on an endless wanderlust around the world. There was nothing for me, I thought, in the smaller communities of the country. I certainly had no time for the mundane and “boring” life that rural existence offers. Most importantly of all, I promised myself I would never follow the path my father took and “waste” my life in ministry. After all, there was no money in that.

I chuckle at that naïve young man as I sit here in a rural community, residing outside a city, and working in full-time hospice chaplaincy as well as bi-vocational ministry at Osage Heights Baptist Church. Life did not turn out the way that my eighteen-year-old self imagined it would. God in His mercy spared me from my delusions of grandeur, and I am grateful every day that my plans never happened.

These past three years have taught me a lot about contentment and gratitude. I invite you to reflect with me as I say unashamedly, “Praise God I live in Ponca City, OK!” I can say this because I believe Paul’s words quoted above. Wherever we find ourselves in life is the place God has placed us. If He has placed us here, then as v. 13 says, He will give us the Grace to be content and strengthened. When we are content, God teaches us unexpected lessons and shows us the wisdom of His plans.

Consider the benefits of living in a rural community such as Ponca City. True, we are not the largest community of the State of Oklahoma, and we definitely do not compare to the largest cities in our country, or even the world. However, in my opinion, this community is the ideal place in terms of caring and cohesiveness in facing life’s day-to-day challenges as well as major crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. I could list numerous examples of the kind deeds I have seen people in this city do for one other from organizing food trains for hurting people, raising funds for a hurting family, or even just the numerous community events we share together. Larger areas of the country have not handled these issues as well in my opinion, where people tend to live in anonymity and seclusion.

When we learn to be content, our focus changes from desiring that which we do not have, to being grateful for the things we have been given. There is a freeing simplicity to contentment that allows us to cast off anxiety and stress that often accompany discontentment and longing after the next best thing. Contentment is a hard fought, daily battle that is worth every ounce of your effort. When you realize that all good things come from God, gratitude and contentment will replace complacency.

I am an avid reader of Church History. Early generations of Christians have so much wisdom they have passed down that is waiting to be mined if you will only dig. There is an ancient collection known as The Sayings of the Holy Desert Fathers. These people were monks who, troubled by the glitz and glamour of Rome, went to the desert to seek a life of simplicity and contentment. Now, I am not saying that is what you need to do. However, one of their stories serves as a good closing illustration of the benefits of contentment.

An unknown man told the story of three men who were active ministers that wanted to make a difference in the world. One wanted to pursue world peace, one wanted to tend to all the sick, and one went into the desert to dwell in quietness. The first one worked diligently to bring peace to all mankind. After years of working, he quickly realized that he was unable to bring about peace and his heart became very sad. There was just too much conflict in the world.

The second man desired to tend for the sick and visit them all. Years of toiling among the sick made him realize that there was more need than he was sufficient for. He experienced in the 3rd Century what we in the 21st Century call “burnout.”

Disillusioned, the two of them went to see their friend in the desert. When they found him, they unloaded all of their disappointment and troubles to him as he listened carefully. After they had finished speaking, he instructed them to go and fill a cup with water and return to him. When they had brought their cups, the third man instructed them to pour the water into a bowl. He then asked them, “What do you see?” They replied, “We see nothing,” because the water was sloshing around in the bowl, making any reflection impossible to see clearly.

Finally, the water settled in the bowl and the third man asked to his companions, “What do you see now?” They replied, “We see our own faces clearly.” The third man said, “Thus is it with the man who dwells with men, for by reason of the disturbance caused by this affair of the world he cannot see…but if he live in the peace and quietness of the desert he is able to see God clearly.”

We live in an anxious world that always is reaching and never attaining, always consuming but never satisfied, always longing but never content. I would encourage each of you to take some time and find a place of solitude where you can sit with God each day. Let the busy waters settle so that you can see who you are clearly, who God is clearly, and become more content with the good things He has given you.