Contentment

Salvation testimony by Helen, of Washington State

I had my nursing degree from St. Louis University in Baguio City (Philippines) in 1986. I joined the US Army and at the end of that year, I moved to the US. I met my husband while in the army. Two and a half years later, I quit the army to take care of my daughter. In 1995, I worked as a nurse though briefly. I had a hard time adjusting to my new job because I did not practice nursing until then. To gain experience, I went through several training. 

Working as a nurse in the US was challenging in many ways. For example, because of the language barrier, I had a problem understanding the doctors and the patients and vice versa. Also, the work is very patient -oriented. . You have to cater to their demands and needs all the time. When a patient complains about your service, it will reflect negatively on your performance record. 

We were also under staff, so we were overworked. There was no time to linger, we were always rushing, and hurrying. For the first time, I learned the true meaning of living under stress. I was feeling harried and tired all the time. Often, I find myself taking my stress home, and my family suffered. On top of this, my husband was away most of the time because of his military assignment, and we moved a lot. Working and taking care of my family single-handedly was tough.

One day, the couple who baby sat my eldest daughter invited me to their Bible study. I was introduced to the Bible, and soon I learned that being good was not enough. All my life, I have trusted in my own effort in trying to live a good life to find favor with God. I learned that the only way to God is to trust Jesus and accept Him into my heart as Savior and Lord, which I did. Since then, I had the assurance that my sins were forgiven, and that I will spend eternity in heaven. For the first time, I was filled with peace and gratitude.

I began to have a sense of contentment, whereas before, I tried to gain a sense of importance and fulfillment through my accomplishments and having a successful career. Living a harried life in pursuit of the “good life “got old really fast. After I accepted Christ in 1996, I realized that I did not need to pursue happiness through money or material things, because Christ has filled my heart with real joy that does not depend on my performance, or how much I have.

In fact, I realized that I can trust God for our needs so I quit working, and stayed at home to attend to the more important task of raising my kids and spending more time with my family. Fourteen years later, I have no regrets. I know I made the right decision. One of my favorite verses in the Bible summarizes it all: Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

“Christ has filled my heart with real joy  that does not depend on my performance, or  how much I have.”

- Helen