contentment

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-9)

I love this chunk of 1 Peter. It is richly layered with truth that satiates the soul. Every time I sink my teeth into this verse, I am comforted. Promises of salvation are clear and abundant, discussion about trials is present and purposeful, and talk of faith is real and passionate. My soul is at rest when I take the time to digest all that is in these lines!

In addition to the peace that my heart absorbs when reading these verses, I believe that hearing Biblical truth realigns our hearts and refocuses our minds. When I read the Truth, I no longer feel discontent by circumstances or pushed and pulled by external forces. I am grounded, like in Psalm 1:

"He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers." (verse 3)

My point can be applied as this (and I feel it would be helpful to clarify here): in raving about marriage, I want to be honest that I am still predisposed to discontentment. Marriage has not fulfilled me or satisfied me beyond how Christ does. I have not "arrived" now that I am married; I am just as much exposed to desires for the next best thing as I was when I was single, engaged, etc. When before it was a husband, now it is a baby (not a kid, just a baby...how silly!) that I covet. We want what we believe will satisfy us, but we use earthly terms to measure.

When are we going to stop striving for the next best earthly comfort, our latest obsession for what we trick ourselves into thinking will satiate us? Christ is all that we need.