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b'Changing situations and changing circumstances often come with changing\\nmoods, like unease, irritability, or even irrational behavior. These\\nchanges may be due to the loss of employment, a loved one, or something\\nelse we once held so dear. We might lose something that used to occupy our\\ntime, or something that\\u2019s just always been there. When a part of our lives\\nthat has felt normal since childhood suddenly isn\\u2019t there anymore, life can\\nfeel empty.\\n.\\nThe apostle Paul experienced a lot of changes. He was one of the most\\neducated people of his day. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the best\\nteachers of the Jewish Scriptures (Acts 5:34; 22:3). No doubt Paul was\\nenvied by some who didn\\u2019t enjoy the same privileges he did.\\n.\\nBut when Paul came to faith in Christ Jesus (whose followers he had\\npersecuted severely up till then) things took a different turn. That\\nprivileged position was no more. Now, as a follower of Jesus Christ, Paul\\nwas the one being severely persecuted for his faith. He went through very\\nuncomfortable situations\\u2014sometimes because of persecution from\\nnon-Christians, and sometimes because of natural disasters beyond his\\ncontrol. Paul was shipwrecked more than once. There were times when he had\\nvery little to live on and he went hungry and thirsty. He experienced\\nsleepless nights and shivered in the cold without enough clothing. He\\nworked hard and for long hours. He was beaten with rods and imprisoned\\nfrequently (2 Corinthians 11:23-29). Sometimes Paul had more than enough,\\nbut other times he had less than enough.\\n.\\nThrough all this, rather than complaining and becoming bitter or even\\nabandoning his faith in Christ, Paul says he \\u201clearned the secret of being\\ncontent\\u201d with whatever he had and whatever circumstances he was going\\nthrough (Philippians 4:12). And that secret was knowing Christ. Paul\\nlearned to bring all his anxieties to the Lord and to trust and depend on\\nHim (4:6). But this is something he had to learn\\u2014it didn\\u2019t happen\\nautomatically. Because Paul had met the risen Jesus, he had hope that Jesus\\nwould return to raise the dead and unite heaven and earth. This is the\\nmessage Paul constantly told the churches, and this is what drove him. In\\ngood times and bad, Jesus was the One who provided Paul\\u2019s contentment. As\\nwe go through life\\u2019s challenges, twists, and turns in this ever-changing\\nworld, we can learn to be content as we draw near to Jesus. Only He can\\nbring true peace of mind and rest to our souls. \\u2022 Charity Kiregyera\\n.\\n\\u2022 What might it look like to draw near to Jesus during times of change?\\n(Read Philippians 4:4-7.) \\n.\\nI have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Philippians 4:11b\\n(NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPhil.4.4-Phil.4.7|Phil.4.10-Phil.4.13'