Whatsoever State

Paul wrote this famous verse while in prison.

Paul- the man who was beaten, imprisoned, and dealing with a thorn in the flesh every day of his life.

He of all people could have sat around complaining about his life and the way it turned out. He could have listed off the complaints, and felt totally justified in doing so. He could have garnished sympathy, and it would not have been wrong to give it.

But he didn't.

I am seeing an alarming trend among young people of today, and even among my own peer group.

Anxiety is on the rise. Depression is on the rise. Suicide is on the rise.

Self diagnosis abounds- everyone is a narcissist. We have to constantly set boundaries with people, and every action is scrutinized and diagnosed. Every action is demonized, when the person committing the infraction had good intentions and a good heart behind it. They aren't an evil person at heart, they just mis spoke, or overstepped without meaning to. We have all been guilty of it. We are human, after all.

Everyone complains about their life.

When in reality, we have it good in 2025 America.

Even with inflation and the cost of everything soaring, we sit in luxury compared to third world countries.

This morning, I had a hot cup of coffee. With cream. Most Europeans won't even understand that luxury. America has the best coffee. Hands down.

I woke up in an air conditioned room.

I snuggled with my babies before starting my day.

I put beef in the crockpot for supper.

Folded the mountain of clothing for my family.

Listened to music while doing my hair and getting dressed.

Looked out the window and watched my chickens run around our three acres.

I am literally living the dream.

And *most of us Americans are.

Yet we let the tiniest things steal our joy.

We self diagnose everyone in our life. I'm sorry, but not everyone in your life has a disorder. Not everyone you come into contact with is a raging narcissist.

We self diagnose ourselves.

We have anxiety when money is tight. We have anxiety when the smallest problem pops up. We have anxiety when plans go awry. When someone doesn't act or react the way we want or expect. When something happens completely out of our control. When life throws a curveball- and let's just be real here- life IS a curveball.

And we are coddled and encouraged to continue on in an anxiety induced life because anxiety is the new "thing."

Bruh, are you even cool if you DON'T have anxiety?

But Paul.

Even when being beaten, he was content.

Even when being shipwrecked, he was content.

Even in pain and torment and in prison, he was content.

I refuse to live a life under self-induced anxiety. Forgive me if I am not one of the cool kids, but anxiety isn't cool to me.

I refuse to label everyone a narcissist and cut good people with misguided intentions out of my life. I will find a way to get along, to understand why they do what they do, and to look for the good behind why they do what they do.

I will learn to be content.

Even with pain every day in my life, and I do have it, although I don't talk about it much. I deal with two herniated discs and have degenerative disc disease. I live with my own thorn in the flesh, but I refuse to let it control me. I refuse to let it define who I am. I refuse to let it suck all the joy out of a life filled with joy.

I refuse to complain about every situation in my life. The actions of other people.

I am determined that if I am going to do something, I am going to enjoy doing it- even if that's cleaning the toilets at church.

We decide if we are going to accept the mindset of Paul, or if we are going to adapt to the pop culture of today- and the pop culture of today says everyone lives in constant anxiety, everyone is a narcissist, and life is constant stress and turmoil.

I don't buy it.

I personally believe us Americans have it *too easy. We have been pampered and coddled and had everything handed to us on a silver platter for so long that we can't even recognize true hardship.

Even if some of us have it difficult-

Whatsoever state I am.

If Paul had that mindset, so can we.