Blog Archives
Balance and Contentment
By: Victoria Osteen
When you think of the word contentment, what does it mean to you? Are you content in this life? Are you content in all circumstances? Some people get confused about the concept of contentment because they think it means they have to settle where they are, or just sit back and go with the flow. However, there’s a huge difference between being content and being complacent. When you are content, you are satisfied; you’re full. It’s not that you aren’t pursuing your goals or striving to reach new levels; you are just able to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.
For example, everyone knows that if you send a woman to the mall to buy a new sweater, she might stroll through fourteen different stores while she’s there. She keeps her “mission” on the backburner of her mind, content to browse the stores and enjoy her journey. On the other hand, most men can’t understand at all why a woman would spend all that time wandering around! A man’s approach would be to get in and out of the mall in ten minutes. (Eight if he’s been to that store before and knows his way around.) That’s because most men are more mission-minded. They focus on the goal, whereas most women focus on the experience. The truth is, we have to have both. We have to be mission-minded and enjoy ourselves on the way to reaching our goals. When we learn to have balance in our approach to life, we will experience contentment in our journey.
One of the best ways I know to find contentment in your circumstances is to reach out and help someone else who is in need. There’s always someone in your life that you can impact. There’s always someone who needs what you have to give. When you turn your focus toward helping others, your own challenges seem more manageable, and sometimes, they simply disappear. That’s because whatever you make happen for other people, God will make happen for you.
Today, I encourage you to find contentment in your journey by reaching out to others. Focusing on others instead of your own circumstances brings balance to your perspective. When you live in balance, you live in supernatural contentment and position yourself to be a vessel of His glory all the days of your life!
“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.” (Philippians 4:12, NIV)
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Let Your Love Show
By: Victoria Osteen
I heard about a woman who said to her husband one day, “Honey, do you really love me?”
He looked at her strangely and said, “Why would you ask me that? I told you that I loved you the day I married you thirty-five years ago. If it ever changes, I’ll let you know.”
We’ve probably all encountered people like that, but the truth is that the phrase “I love you” can never be heard enough in our homes. We can’t take for granted that the people we love automatically know it. Maybe you weren’t raised in an expressive environment, but why don’t you be the one to start a new tradition? You can affect your family line for generations to come by speaking words of love. What better legacy to leave than a legacy of love, kindness and encouragement.
I was discussing the power of encouragement with one of my friends one afternoon, and she said something I thought was right on. She said, “When I brag on my husband, I can see a change in him. He rises to the occasion and strives to go to new levels. But when I nag at him or say nothing at all, he’s more complacent and doesn’t have the passion and enthusiasm to accomplish what is in his heart.”
That’s true for all of us. Nagging only makes things worse, but encouraging words will put people on their feet and bring out the best in them. We should always look for opportunities to speak words of blessing over the people around us. When your spouse gets a promotion at work, take time to say, “I knew you could do it! You’re amazing!” When your child comes home with good grades, even if they are less than you had hoped, don’t be too busy to celebrate. Stop and say, “I am so proud of you. Way to go!” When your mother fixes Sunday dinner for the whole family, tell her, “Mom, I know that’s a lot of work, but your hospitality means so much.” When your coworker loses fifteen pounds, don’t be jealous; congratulate her with a compliment. Let words of life flow freely from your lips. As you sow seeds of love and blessing, always remember that you are displaying the glory of God. He is love, and when we show love, we are showing Him. Let your words and actions say “I love you” because that’s how we show the world that we are followers of His.
“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35, NIV).
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