We’re to be Content
PC: Britni Conrad
Hardly Worthy
We’re a generation of people who seem to be doing things all the time, most of which have something to do with distraction or procrastination related to our phones. Sometimes I imagine myself living during the time when my grandmother was growing up, when the pull of electronics wasn’t an issue.
This last week between rushing from one meeting to the next, I had a talk with one of my mentors. The weight of the semester was bearing down on me, after only two weeks, and I was beginning to feel in over my head.
My mentor listened as I chatted about how busy I felt and questioned me: Why are you allowing yourself to do things halfway when you could put your full effort into the things you love? She advised me to find a balance. I thought that I had everything balanced, but I didn’t. I thought I could figure everything out by myself, but I can’t. Over this past summer, if I learned anything, it was how to truly rely on God during a time in my life when I had never felt more unbalanced. The school year ended and I jumped into summer at full speed. I felt like I went from the go-go-go of the school year to the go-go-go of the summer and back again. I still haven’t felt like I’ve caught my breath.
Often I find myself sitting in class trying to sort out things I need to get done. I feel overloaded, like I’m drowning in all the things I need to do. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m wearing myself thin. This is where balance needs to comes in.
My imbalance is due to my fearfulness of silence. I can’t just sit and do nothing. When I have nothing to do I feel empty and purposeless, but when I’m busy my mind is crowded, leaving me feeling overloaded.
It’s in these times especially, that I turn to God for guidance. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (II Tim 1:7). God gifts us with that balance and through Him, we can find contentment. ‘For I have learned in whatever situation, I am to be content’ (Philippians 4:11b).
Kasondra Reel is a senior studying nursing.