In 2006, Juanita Purcell wrote The Secret of Contentment Bible study “to help ladies learn to be content no matter what is happening in their lives.” In those days she couldn’t have imagined a virus named corona, a worldwide pandemic, the shutdown of America’s way of life, or the summer of 2020.
This summer has provided many reasons for discontent, which made it the perfect time for a Bible study on contentment. So Juanita led a Bible study using The Secret of Contentment. Since COVID-19 created problems for larger groups to meet, she held the studies in her home twice a week for separate small groups.
Juanita says that Philippians 4:11–12 became more real to her this summer than it was when she taught the lessons before. “Learning to be content with the new normal, wearing masks, keeping distance in our seating has been very difficult. However, we learned that being content does not depend on our outward circumstances but what is going on in our hearts and minds,” she says. “Philippians 4:13 also seems more real to me now than it ever has before. When we avail ourselves of God’s supernatural power that dwells in us, we can learn to be content no matter what!”
Juanita is again leading a study using The Secret of Contentment. After moving into her neighborhood, she attended an existing Bible study led by two women in the community and was invited to lead the study this fall. The group is relatively small, but all women in the community are invited to attend, with announcements being placed in the community newsletter.
In this time of COVID-19, the ladies took precautions, sitting at three 6′ round tables with only four chairs at each table. Juanita sat facing them from 6′ away at a card table. Though none of the women covered her face with a mask, some of them wore “mask earrings,” with masks dangling from one ear, close at hand if covering up became necessary.
Three of the ladies were new to the study and new to the gospel. As Juanita says, “To have contentment we must have peace with God (that comes with salvation), then we can have the peace of God.” Lesson 1 in her book is about God’s sovereignty. “It was a perfect lesson for these crazy 😝 days. The basis for the peace of God that brings contentment is understanding the sovereignty of God.”
