Guest Post by Sarah-Gayle Galbreath
“Right where you are is where you need to be. Right where you are is where you need to be. Right where you are is where you need to be. Be still anxiety. Be patient longing heart. Right where you are is where you need to be.” My heart is commissioned as I repeat this phrase again and again. Commissioned to explore, appreciate and see anew, right where I am. I repeat it so I actually start to believe it and trust the inner voice within me saying, “look up and see.” Right where you are is where you need to be.
I push back the threat of creeping anxiety that lingers. It assaults me in the ordinary moments. All the “what ifs?” What am I missing by not doing other things? Not even sure what those other things are due to the elusive nature of them. What if I start this, or do that? So many possibilities, the potential, the ideas are limitless but lack the grit and substance of the now. As I get older, I sense that time is even more limited than before and I wonder, will I be…, will I do…, will I attain…? Five years from now what will I have to show? There is a subtle striving I’ve become accustomed to that keeps me distracted from being where I am. I want. I want. I want. I wish. I hope for. I pray for. I believe for. All this is well until it hinders where I am.
Contentment.
What a humble yet powerful word, often confused with complacency. There is power in contentment because it recognizes where we are and leads us to acceptance. Even more so, it finds a way to express gratitude in the midst of it. Paul in Philippians 4:11 says of contentment, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Right where you are is where you need to be. I’ve heard this before but only now does it truly resonate with me. There is so much right where I am that I have missed in the pursuit of more. There’s work still to be done HERE. People to love. As my focus shifts to the “good life” my gratitude shifts to dependency on that “good life.” Circumstances impact my contentment which creates a shifting sense of stability, emotional well-being, and consistency.
There is a balance that exists between contentment and expectancy. How can one really look towards the future and be expectant for change whilst remaining content? I believe contentment and expectancy work together. You can’t have one without the other. A genuine expectancy and hope for the future only comes from true contentment/peace in the here and now. Anything less taints what the future holds. There are so many character issues we face in our current season that challenge a heart of contentment. As we learn to be faithful with what we have we find that we have enough. We are in awe of what God has entrusted to us.
The other day I found myself slipping. My family has been believing for a house large enough to fit our family and offer us a yard. A place for our boys to run. In my efforts of moving forward, slowly but surely, my current abode became a burden. It was once the blessing I asked for. As failed to hold onto contentment AND expectancy with a thankful heart, my contentment left me. Sometimes, we need to let go in order to make room for more. However, when it comes to contentment our attitude must make room for gratitude.
It’s amazing how what we focus on really does lead our life. How could it not? Our minds are powerful. I’ll tell you this much, there’s only one YOU, and one ME, and our seasons needs us fully present. Let us not despise it! Embrace it and savor everything God has for us. It just might take a lifetime and that’s O.K. May our lives be led by faith, trusting that we are in the right place at the right time. The value of our lives is not to be compared to the production and impact of another’s journey. God has entrusted us to be where we are! May we stay encouraged and TRUST that if we need to be somewhere else He will lead us to it, but where we are now is where we need to be! Fully present.