After a few days on the boat, we headed out in our RV, first to the RV park at the Port Townsend marina. The Lord, as I mentioned last week, had been showing me about contentment and challenging me on allowing it to be scarce.

“Athena, go check the toilet. The pump is making a weird noise and I’m afraid it’s going to flood the bathroom!”

“WOW … the toilet is full babe … what now?”

That led to ordering a toilet to be delivered in 2 days by Amazon. Ross having to hoof it 3 miles to the hardware store, and us having to go with the pump turned off for 2 days.

Then we headed off to Pacific Beach and spent two days there without hookups but used the generator when we needed to use the microwave. God had given us the most beautiful and unexpected spot overlooking the beach and we were soaking it in. Now it was time to head out to our next destination.

“Hey, I think we’re in trouble. Athena, the motor won’t start!”

My heart sunk. I didn’t really know the challenges that can arise from using a generator, but apparently the cranking battery didn’t get charged when the generator gave us power, and not being plugged in drained the batteries.

We finally got a jump and the engine started. We figured we needed to let it run for a while to charge it up, so after about two hours we decided to head out.

Click. Click.

“What???? The slide-outs won’t come back in! How can that be?”

Another hour of scurrying around, looking up YouTubers who teach on things like manually closing a slide out, and fretting. And we all know what fretting leads to, (see Psalm 37:8)! This was not looking good and the eyerolls were showing up … I was definitely finding it difficult to be content.

It just seemed like everything was against us, and if it could go wrong, it did go wrong!

Finally, the AAA guy shows up. I had just finished asking God for wisdom because I was really struggling with trusting Him and being content. Ross showed the tech where one set of slide out gears were (under the bed) and he scratched his head with no clue why it wouldn’t start.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a thought drops in my head. “The engine is on. What if there’s a safety feature that keeps it from starting while the RV is in motion or running?” We turned the engine off and BOOM. Slide outs slide right on in. Problem solved!

I’m telling you, there’s no way I knew to even think that. God answered my prayer!

As I reflected on all the twists and turns, the ups and downs, and all the frustrations of those days I couldn’t help but be reminded of how God really DOES work all things together for good, using slight and momentary afflictions to mature us and to teach us to be content!

This devotional by Spurgeon is the cherry on top of this spiritual sundae … the more we understand how God will always bring good out of what He allows into our lives, the more content we become! Check out the words of Spurgeon as he unpacks this rich verse for us.

“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.”
—Romans 8:28

Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world’s tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers it. That reassuring knowledge prepares him for everything. He looks over the raging waters and sees the spirit of Jesus treading the billows, and he hears a voice saying, “It is I, be not afraid.” He knows too that God is always wise, and, knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes; that nothing can occur which ought not to arise. He can say, “If I should lose all I have, it is better that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if God ordains it.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact. Everything hasworked for good as yet; the poisonous drugs mixed in fit proportions have worked the cure; the sharp cuts of the lancet have cleansed out the proud flesh and facilitated the healing. Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results; and so, believing that God rules all, that he governs wisely, that he brings good out of evil, the believer’s heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial as it comes. The believer can in the spirit of true resignation pray, “Send me what thou wilt, my God, so long as it comes from thee; never came there an ill portion from thy table to any of thy children.”

“Say not my soul, ‘From whence can God relieve my care?’
Remember that Omnipotence has servants everywhere.
His method is sublime, his heart profoundly kind,
God never is before his time, and never is behind.”[1]

How is your contentment quotient these days? Are you finding ways to see things differently and grow in appreciation even for the struggles? I’d love to hear!

Thanks for hanging out with me today!
Athena

[1] C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896)