Are you seeking contentment in transition? That’s what I’m doing now, and I hope my post helps you.
Seeking Contentment in Transition
In July 2022, I logged many hours picking wild blackberries on my property. I transformed them into lots of good recipes, and unexpectedly, the berries transformed me too.
While searching for blackberries among the red, unripe ones, I began to notice that the ones that ripened first were located at the end of the stems. Usually, only one blackberry would appear every 24 hours. Returning to the berry patch day after day and week after week was necessary to collect the largest harvest.
I had to be patient while the sun ripened the berries one by one. I also had to curb my greed for the perfectly ripe berries beyond my reach, because the last thing you want to do is faceplant into a thicket of thorny blackberry bushes – trust me.
The Challenges of Transitions
Picking these berries in July’s heat and humidity isn’t easy. It’s hard, hot work. I also had to convert to wearing long-sleeved shirts, pants, and gloves because the berry bushes scratched my skin open and made it bleed. It wasn’t always convenient for me to spend 30 minutes scouring the bushes, but I had to make haste to beat the birds, deer, raccoons, and other wild animals to the chase.
Berry picking is a great time to let your mind wander, and I’ve used that time to pray and think. The main lesson God impressed on me while picking berries is that contentment is possible even in times of transition.
2022 has been one of the hardest years I’ve ever had. Terrible losses, repeated rejection, unwarranted cruelty, unbearable heartbreak, and shocking spiritual warfare pounded me in tsunami waves for months. Contentment seemed impossible most days. Even hope sometimes seemed out of reach.
But spending time picking berries transformed my thinking. The berry bushes weren’t even supposed to exist. They were supposed to be mowed down to keep the pond levee free from bushy growth, as our agreement with the Department of Conservation stated.
The ex’s lack of upkeep on the levee last year resulted in many second-year canes of wild berries, which are the only ones that can bear fruit. Through these canes that first grew in the spring of 2021, I now have a huge abundance of antioxidant-packed berries in my freezer to feed me and my teens for months.
Contentment Even in Transitions
I have learned to see contentment in this year of transition through these berries. For example, I must wait for them to ripen one at a time, just like I can’t rush my healing process. I must be content with the colander of berries I gather every 24 hours, just like I can choose contentment in the growth I experience one day at a time.
Since I wouldn’t have had these berries this year without the baby plants that started growing last year, I am content that things worked out differently than expected. Even in my grief, I can see reasons to be thankful for being set free from so many trials of the past, and this grows my contentment.
I can be content with the berries within my reach, rather than the ones beyond, which may lead to my physical harm. This lesson has helped me choose contentment on the days when I have felt lonely, frustrated, and angry that I’m not yet in a happier season. I’m learning that God knows best which blessings to put within my reach, and he keeps some out of my reach right now because they may not be good for me just yet.
While I savored blackberry cobbler, blackberry cheesecake, and berry custard pie, I recalled the hot, sweaty hours of work I invested in their collection. I remembered the scratches and pricks the branches made on my skin until I covered up, feeling much hotter with the extra clothing yet more protected. The berry picking taught me to be content while I waited for the delicious results, though I had to go through a lot of struggle and effort to get to that point.
Christian Meditation for Contentment in Transitions
A scripture I’ve been meditating upon while picking berries is 1 Timothy 6:6 NIV: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Seeking contentment in transition isn’t easy. In fact, I don’t recommend it in the very first stages of grief. When you’ve healed enough to start seeking contentment, it will be a great blessing to you.
If we intentionally seek contentment because we long to be more like Jesus and experience more of him in our lives, we gain much. Not just a warm bowl of cobbler with ice cream on top, though that’s a tasty reward. We gain spiritual satisfaction that will last beyond our earthly days and can even be a testimony to others in our present circumstances.
If we pursue contentment while we face tough transitions, our victory in Jesus will be all the sweeter. We can accept that our transitions will change us for the better if we are seeking contentment even in the hard things we are facing. I also recommend eating berries while you ponder these challenging truths, to make them go down a little sweeter.
Originally published for Kingdom Edge Magazine, July 2022
Recommended Read
If you want to learn how to trust God more in times of transition, order a signed copy of my book, Newness of Life, HERE.
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