This week, I am starting a study through the book of Philippians, and something happened that made me stop and think about one of the book’s central themes: contentment.
I went for a three-mile walk along Lake Michigan. When I finished, I grabbed a blanket that I’ve decided to start keeping in my car, spread it out on the beach, opened my book, and spent some time reading by the water. The sun was shining, the breeze was perfect, and the sound of the waves made it feel like I was miles away on vacation.
I even took a picture because, at a glance, it looked like I had traveled somewhere special.
The reality? I was less than fifteen minutes from my house.
As I sat there, I realized something. Last summer, I barely came to the beach at all. Not because I didn’t enjoy it. Not because it wasn’t beautiful. Life was simply busy, and I overlooked something that was available to me all along.
People drive hours to visit this beach. Some save money and plan vacations around places like this. Yet there have been seasons when I didn’t take advantage of something sitting practically in my own backyard.
It reminded me how easy it is to overlook the blessings right in front of us.
We often think joy is waiting somewhere else. We tell ourselves we’ll be happy when we get the next thing, reach the next goal, take the next trip, buy the next item, or finally arrive at whatever destination we’ve set for ourselves. But sometimes the beauty we’re searching for is much closer than we realize.
As I sat there reading, I couldn’t help but think about Philippians.
One of the most life-changing passages in that book for me is when Paul writes that he has learned the secret of being content in every circumstance. In a culture that constantly encourages us to consume more, buy more, achieve more, and chase more, those words feel incredibly countercultural.
Over the years, I’ve learned that contentment isn’t found in having everything I want. It’s found in recognizing everything I’ve already been given.
I’ve never been especially materialistic. Shopping has never been my favorite pastime, and accumulating more things has never brought me much satisfaction. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more aware of where true contentment comes from.
My contentment is found in Christ.
It’s found in knowing who He is, what He has done, and what He has already provided.
As we begin studying Philippians, we’ll encounter some of the most quoted verses in Scripture. Verses like, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
But I think it’s important that we understand what Paul is actually teaching. So often we define our needs through the lens of our culture. We begin to expect things that Scripture never promises because we’ve confused wants with needs.
The world tells us that contentment is found in getting more.
Scripture tells us that contentment is found in Christ.
That’s why passages like Romans 12 remind us not to be conformed to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And that’s why I love what Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:3, that God “has given us everything required for life and godliness.”
Think about that.
Everything we need.
Why?
Because He has given us Himself. He has given us His Son. He has given us salvation, grace, mercy, purpose, hope, and the promise of eternity.
The more we understand that truth, the more we begin to recognize that contentment isn’t found in what we’re lacking. It’s found in appreciating what we’ve already received.
So over the next few weeks, I’ll be walking through the book of Philippians one chapter at a time. My hope isn’t to provide a deep theological commentary, but simply to share what God is teaching me as I study His Word.
And maybe it starts with a simple reminder from a beach fifteen minutes from home:
Sometimes the blessings we’ve been searching for are already right in front of us. We just need to slow down long enough to see them.
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Jasmine Lozano 