Our Portion

People are always searching for more. Whether a higher paying job, more friends, or a better life, we constantly look for the next best thing. Often we get so caught up in the bigger and better that we forget where true contentment comes from. We compare ourselves to others with more than us and realize we don't have enough. We try to fill the void in our lives with worldly possessions or titles that do nothing but make us crave more. Once caught in this toxic cycle, we eventually realize that the things we once desired now bring us no joy.

My mindset changed one day when I read Psalm 119:57.

"The Lord is my portion" (Psalm 119:57).

Drawn to the simplicity of this verse, I did a quick internet search on the meaning of "portion" in this context and discovered it meant "inheritance" or "allotment." When the psalmist says that the Lord is his portion, he conveys all he needs is the Lord. He doesn't say, "money is my portion" or "fame is my portion" because he knows these things will bring him temporary pleasure but ultimately leave him empty. Instead, he chooses to fill himself with God, who gives eternal life and everlasting contentment.

Having material goods or increasing social status isn't wrong unless we get into the mindset that we need them to be happy. It can be hard to reverse our discontented thinking pattern, but anything is possible with God's strength. I encourage you to pray for contentment in whatever season of life you are walking through. Pray that God would open your eyes to see that only He can fill your emptiness, and pray that He would give you the desire to deepen your relationship with Him. When God is your portion, only then can you find true contentment.

- Lena