“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. . . . In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”
—Philippians 4:11–12
Dearest Daughters,
There’s a danger lurking by that tries to slithers its way into a woman’s heart. It’s so subtle we may not notice it creeping in at first. Suspicion and coveting were the first sins to enter the world. Because she chose to have a conversation with the serpent, a little root of suspicion toward God entered Eve’s heart, and then she began to covet what did not belong to her. It seemed small enough at first: Did God really say…? Suspicion always begins with a conversation with the accuser, and then the covetousness that follows leads us away from trust in God and finally into idolatry, because “covetousness is idolatry” (Eph. 5:5).
The tenth commandment tells us we must not covet anything belonging to our neighbor. Wherever coveting begins to take shape, Christ’s lordship begins a slow fade, because something else is moving in to take His place. So for a woman to covet the place that God has given to a man (or vice versa) is sin. And this coveting of another’s place puts us in the same posture as Eve—choosing for ourselves rather than trusting God, and therefore stepping away from the shelter of His design and His peace.
This same coveting can creep into other relationships as well, particularly between women. The thoughts sound harmless at first:
She only gets to sing a solo because she knows the right people.
She gets to function in that capacity because of family connections.
They were invited because of their wealth.
Everyone thinks she’s so intelligent—but if they knew . . .
These whisperings of the accuser of the brethren tear down love, strain relationships, and eventually destroy the witness of Christ’s body. But Scripture reminds us, “in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Rom. 12:5, NIV). We belong to each other, and we honor Christ by honoring His design and where He placed us in His body.
In an orchestra, it would be foolish for the first-chair violinist to covet the drummer’s place, saying, “I could keep the rhythm better!” Or for the drummer to demand the delicate melodies of the violin. We would say, “Your part is beautiful. It was given to you for a reason.” Each instrument has its own role, and the harmony depends on those very differences working together instead of competing.
And yet in family life, in church life, and in friendship, we sometimes lose sight of the larger “orchestra.” A narrow, individualistic view focuses on what we lack, while overlooking the incredible privilege of being called to participate in the work that God is doing, which is so much larger than ourselves. To confine ourselves to the place He prepared for us is to find meaning and belonging. If we will take up this stewardship, we will find peace.
Paul said, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Phil. 4:11). Contentment is a practiced trust that doesn’t come by passively waiting for it. Contentment sees that God, in His wisdom, has assigned each of us a part to play, and that His purposes for us are always good.
Let us always guard our hearts from suspicion, refuse the wicked invitations to compare, and take joy in the place God has given each of His children. Command yourself to rejoice also in the gifts and callings of others, knowing we are members of one body, where each is needed, cherished, placed by God’s own hand. So the gifts of others actually areyours if we are all hidden in Christ!
With all my love,
Mom