40 Days Toward Contentment
By Amy Ragon
The Exodus from Egypt is laden with a certain fear of the unknown, and it seems that God was worried that once the Israelites saw the challenges that would arise while wandering in the desert, they would prefer to return to Egypt, where, although enslaved, they at least felt a certain degree of consistency in their lives, a familiar routine.
This is a struggle that many people face at least one time or another in life: a reluctance to try something new, to veer off into uncharted territory, to stray from our comfort zones, all at the risk of traveling a path that is less familiar or comfortable. (Commentary onExodus 13:17-17:16 by Rabbi Corey Hefland)
The last few days have been a roller coaster in our house. Working from home with the kids returning to “homeschooling” has presented new challenges for all of us. Our new normal has moments of tender bliss intertwined with chaotic tension. In addition, the invisible enemy is attacking our wallet more than our well-being. The unknown is ravaging our stability and revealing our idolatry and distractions.
As I was reflecting on the new twists that have come in the last 24 hours, I realized I could spend the next 40 days wandering in the desert longing to go back to Egypt or I could press on to the figurative promised land. I could long for the self-sufficiency of what enslaved us, slavery to things and slavery to busyness or I could make a straight path to God himself. This virus has been a stripping away of comfort zones and I’m ashamed at times of how my familiar routine numbed my faith.
We are weeks away from Easter. My savior came as a humble servant to show me the way to live and love. With great anguish, he offered himself as a sacrifice for me. He became my sin and felt darkness envelop as he was separated from his/our all-sufficient Father. But the light of life rose and conquered my comfort and broke my gaze on the world.
I feel the pull and the wrestling within me in 1 Timothy 6:6-20. I will flee from slavery to the world and find gains in the abundant life of my Savior. The secret to contentment in any relationship is to find ways to fall more in love with the other person daily. Paul fell in love with Christ and that is how he learned to be content in any circumstance. Christ is everything. The Word who spoke us into existence, the Truth who draws us towards holiness, and the rescue who saves us daily from our wandering tendencies. Christ stops at nothing to remind us our hope, our peace, and our true life is found in him alone. I lay down my shackles to spend 40 days in his presence. With a dry, parched mouth, I praise him!
