Being
Content in the Moment
By Olivia Collingsworth
For as long as I can remember , I have always looked at life through the lens of being in a waiting season . I was waiting to get to high school to finally be a cool teenager , waiting to get my driver ’ s license so I could have some independence . Waiting to graduate high school , waiting to turn eighteen so I could officially be considered an adult . Waiting to start dating , waiting to find that special someone to spend the rest of my life with , and now that I have found him , waiting for the wedding day .
Through all of these waiting seasons , I have sometimes failed just to enjoy the journey and the beauty in the mundane things of life . So often , I have been in the mindset of just enduring until I could get to the next destination , where I thought I really wanted to be , which would make me the happiest . I discovered something very interesting : When I reached that next destination in life , it never made me feel the way I thought it would .
This quote from Elizabeth Elliot convicted me and gave me a new outlook on things : “ The life of faith is lived one day at a time , and it has to be lived — not always looked forward to as though the ‘ real ’ living were around the next corner . It is today for which we are responsible . God still owns tomorrow .” This quote made me think of this Scripture passage written by the Apostle Paul : “ I am not saying this because I am in need , for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances . I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty . I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation , whether well fed or hungry , whether living in plenty or in want . I can do all this through Him who gives me strength ” ( Phil . 4:11-13 ).
In my twenty-four short years of living , God has had to spend a good amount of time teaching me the necessity of contentment in ‘ whatever ’ state I ’ m in . I ’ ve certainly not attained or arrived , but I ’ m miles up the road from where I was . While I ’ ve already had an amazing life so far , I will admit this has been a weakness of mine . I ’ m learning daily that in God ’ s time , He makes all things beautiful . Our job is to trust Him with the journey and live each day to the fullest , enjoying every moment . I encourage you to do the same . In the meantime , I cannot wait until June 24 ! ■
42 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW