Author: Colleen Craig

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Pastures, Cows, Milk and Contentment

Dear Sister,
I remember a quote from Wendell Calder almost 20 years ago during the first sermon I heard at Bible College, “Carnation Condensed Milk, the milk from contented cows”.  He was remarking how much better milk would taste from a contented cow grazing on green pastures with all its needs met.  I agree.  I would much rather drink milk from a cow that was content than one that was not content.

But what is contentment?  Paul remarks that he had learned to be content in all circumstances of life (green pastures or not) when he wrote to the Philippians in a jail cell (Phil 4:11).  We also know that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim 6:6).  But what is it and how do I get it (green pastures or not)?  The dictionary defines it as “satisfaction”.  I like that.  Satisfaction.  What with and when am I satisfied?  When my daughter is giving me a big gummy smile?  When my husband and I are relaxed with our feet up on the couch watching a TV show before the end of another busy day?  When I have the perfect cup of coffee complimented by a morsel of dark chocolate?  Mmmm…satisfaction…contentment.  Is that what it means?

It has to be more than that as not all of us can experience those things.  Not all of us are married or blessed with children.  Not all of us have a husband that we want to snuggle up to.  Not all of us like coffee and most of us need to be off of chocolate.  So how can we women be contentment when we have an argument with our husbands, our babies are crying, or a loved one dies?  Is it an impossible thing?  It is without Christ.

Paul has it right in Philippians when he says that his contentment comes from Christ who strengthens him (Phil 4:13).  We can’t be content in our own strength (green pastures or not).  On this earth we will never be satisfied or content because it is not our home.  Praise God we have hope of satisfaction and contentment for eternity with Christ, which begins the moment we trust in Jesus!  Our contentment is IN Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross; the forgiveness of our sins.  When Christ is enough for us, we will be content in all things (green pastures or not).  When is it that you feel most satisfied?  I’m not sure about you sister, but for me, it is when I have completed what I was supposed to for the day.  How much more content we would be if we knew and completed our purpose in life.  So what is this purpose of life?  To glorify God and enjoy him forever!  John Piper says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”  So not only will we have contentment, we will glorify God!

So sweet sister, are you content with Christ?  Is Christ enough for you?  Do you need Christ plus happy children to be satisfied?  Do you need Christ plus a good marriage to be content?  Can you glorify God in what you do each day from breakfast to brushed teeth?

I think back to that contented cow and how much I would want that milk over an unsatisfied cow’s milk.  When we drink of Christ, though the bitterness of this world slams on us, people will see our contentment and want to be a part of it.  Sweet sister, what does your label read?

Your Satisfied Sister,

Colleen

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Power Under Control

My Dear Sister,

Sometimes the definition of a word is clearer when you think of its opposite: summer verses winter, friend verses enemy, Hitler verses Billy Graham. When I think of gentleness, the opposite seems to be uncontrolled power: Uncontrolled power that causes chaos, fear, and rage. This power eventually becomes the demise of the one using it. When I contemplate an example of gentleness; a wrestler holding a baby, a Marine rescuing an orphan, and a dad changing a newborn’s diaper, come to mind. They are great examples. However the real model of gentleness, this power under control if you will, is Jesus Christ.

Do you ever think of how the all-powerful God of the universe came down to earth and became a baby? A baby: One hundred percent God, one hundred percent man. That is Power under control!! Do you remember how He spent most of his life as the humble son of a tradesman in a small town? That was Power under control! Christ was homeless and surrounded himself with societal losers, again, Power under control. He calmed the seas, cast out demons, and raised people from the dead, amazing Power under control. This Lord who created all things with his spoken word was controlled enough to draw children to Himself. These children ran to him with no fear, trembling, or coercion because he exuded power under control. The children trusted this gentle Messiah. What about you my dear sister?

His gentleness is what keeps us alive sister. The penalty of sin is death yet he has controlled his power and given us grace and mercy we do not deserve! All the wrathful power from a holy God was put on His son and all the power of heaven raised Him from the dead on the third day! Dear sister, are you trusting in Him? If you are then you are now free from your sin debt and your heart is in the hands of your Gentle Savior who will never leave you, never forsake you, and who will lead you as a shepherd. That is power under control. That is gentleness. That is our Savior.

How are we applying this gentleness in our lives? How can you and I have power under control? When speaking with our children who challenge us, remember to control your power. When speaking with our husbands who sometimes fail to meet expectations, remember to control your power. And even when speaking with our friends who sometimes share more about others (fact or fiction) than we need to hear…we should control the power to engage in gossip and use the power to leave. “A gentle word turns away wrath”. We have been treated with gentleness by our Savior…how much more should we be gentle with those he has placed in our lives?

From Your Sister in Christ,
Colleen

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Prince of Peace

Dearest Sister,
My hydrangeas are dying. I can see the outline of their brown petals through my sheer curtains as I type. I can also hear the squalling of my five-week old fighting to take a nap while Barrett’s pants, which she just soiled from a bodacious blow out, dry behind me. I have been in Okinawa, Japan for a little over five months now, and in that time, my Navy Chaplain husband and I had to buy cars, rent an apartment, find a church and make friends before he deployed three weeks later. We have had the remnant of the Japan tsunami encourage us to higher ground, a typhoon scream at our walls for hours, and weather so hot, breathing becomes optional. We also just had the joy (and pain) of having our first baby born in a new land with no family nearby to help with all the questions that follow. Now we are counting down the days to when my husband leaves again on deployment anywhere from two to five months. I will once again be alone without my family facing this new stage of motherhood and parenting alone.

I have also been reading the headlines of a crashing economy back home in the States, the unemployment rate rising, congressmen caught with their pants down, and Americans wondering why we have boots on the ground in Libya with no mission explained. I heard Benjamin Netanyahu state his case before congress to implement healthy borders for both Israel and Palestine, and have seen the deadly repercussions from a pastor burning the Quran in protest of Islam. There have been tornados, floods, and more tornados hitting the Midwest in record numbers leaving countless families with no homes or tangible memoirs.

How can there ever be peace? How can I have peace in the midst of my personal chaos? How will this world ever have peace in the Middle East? Is it possible?

Chaos and disagreements entered the world as soon as Adam and Eve took that infamous bite of forbidden fruit. Since then we have had wars in every generation with men giving their lives for what they hoped would ultimately end in peace…yet a new war always seems to rear its ugly head. It seems there is no hope for peace for us or this fallen world.

Yet the Bible gives us the history and record of a promised deliverer who would be the Prince of Peace for this cursed world. This Peace-giver came humbly in a stable in Bethlehem to a poor peasant girl and humble carpenter. The Good News dear sister of mine is that this Prince of Peace still comes today! The perfect God-Man who lived a perfect life and had peace with His Father, this Prince of Peace died on the cross to take away the curse resulting from the garden and rose again showing the world that the sin debt was paid has broken that curse for you and for me!

So, how does Jesus’ death and resurrection give me peace when I don’t have time to water my brown hydrangeas and have to wash Barrett’s pants again after Annabelle has another blow out? Putting my faith and trust in the Prince of Peace alone for my salvation means that I have peace with God. My sins, which deserve death, are forgiven and God counts me as perfectly righteous through Jesus Christ! This Prince of Peace gives me hope of the lion lying laying with the lamb, for no more war or rulers that fail in morality. This Prince of Peace gives me the joy of knowing heaven is in my future and that the closest to hell I will ever be is here. The peace you and I have with Christ is similar to the overall peace my precious daughter has despite fleeting moments of pain when tears shoot out of her eyes. Her life is characterized by peace because she has trust in her mom and dad’s love and care for her. Likewise, even in the midst of a world falling apart around us we have peace in knowing my heavenly Father loves and cares for us. If He loves you and I enough to send His son, the Prince of Peace, to die for us, how can we not trust He will watch over us? How can I not trust Him while my husband is deployed, my car breaks down, or when the storms flex our windows? Knowing the Prince of Peace makes such peace possible!