Calm My Anxious Heart Chapter 4

"Content with My Role"


Just the other day I told Matt that I thought God wanted to teach me contentment with where I am in life. I can't believe how this chapter totally hit home for me. It seems that no matter where I am in my course of life, I am always focusing on the future step. First I was discontent in being a girlfriend, I wanted to be a fiancee. Then I was REALLY discontent with being a fiancee, I REALLY wanted to be a wife. Then I enjoyed being a wife for a bit...Now, I'm discontent with just being a wife, I want to be a mother too. When Matt and I were talking about this about a month ago, I told him that I felt like I was wishing my life away...just looking for the next best thing. This chapter was such an encouragement that most women are just like me. There were a series of emails included in this chapter that seemed so personal and relatable for me. Each woman talked about the stresses of their job, their husband, or their kids and each email said something like, "at least you have ______________________." The women were telling about their lives but doing so in a complaining manner. Not only did they "update" the friend about family affairs, they did so by alluding to the fact that the other person's life was somehow better..."at least you have _______________________." Interesting. I wonder how many facebook statuses I have posted that have been complaints masked as "status updates." I bet many of them suggest frustration or discontentment with my present God-given role. Just like an actress receives a role in a movie, we are assigned our life roles by the all-knowing God. Also, our roles can change just like roles change for actresses with each new film. We can either accept our current role and do our best, or we simply gripe and complain, jealous of another woman's role.

"If we want to be women of contentment, we must choose to accept our portion, our assigned roles from God. We must make the choice to dwell on the positive aspects of our role in life. If we don't we'll be discontent, always wanting something different from what we've been given."

Jesus was given a role that he took on even though he knew it would lead him to a painful death. Instead of complaining and telling God that it was not fair, he humbled himself and took on the role of a servant (Matthew 20:28). May I always seek to follow Jesus' example as I take on the various roles my Director gives me, content with my purpose and my role for that time being.