A Closer Walk

We can't control pandemics. We can't control government edicts or decrees. And we shouldn't fret about things beyond our control. We should look to and focus on what is within our control. The Apostle Paul shared in his letter to the church at Philippi that He himself had learned contentment. To be content in whatever circumstance he found himself. "Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need," Philippians 4:11-12 NASB.

Paul had lived with humble means (poverty?) and he had lived in prosperity. Some people sleep on a bed of banana leaves on the ground. Some live in huts made of things they could find laying around. Some countries have a monarchy and their royalty live in palaces and castles. But our God has given people the ability to turn the sweat of their brow into an income.
Our God has told us that work can be difficult. "And unto Adam He said...'cursed is the ground for thy sake; In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, 'till thou return unto the ground...,'" Genesis 3:17-19 KJV. But our God has also told us that He will bless the work of our hands. "The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand...," Deuteronomy 28:12 NASB. By offering our labor we can help minimize our poverty and increase our prosperity.
But being able to be content in both circumstances is the key to a brighter outlook and a better attitude. That doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to provide a better life for ourselves and our families. Because there is nothing wrong with that. A Christian brother once shared that in his opinion living in prosperity was more difficult than living with humble means. When we have more, we have more to worry about and more temptations to deal with. Besides we might think that our prosperity came because of our own power and our own might. If we do our part, the work and the effort, God will do His part, the blessing. We can't do His part, and He won't do our part.
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for,” Epicurus, ancient Greek philosopher, 341-270BC.
Nevertheless we should be content in whatever circumstance we are in. And we should look to and focus on the things that we can control. "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me," Philippians 4:13 NASB.