"I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance"

I have been thinking lately about my level of contentment. I find myself saying "If only I had that job" or "if I could just have a boyfriend" or "a little more money please"... then I would be truly happy and content. THEN I would be okay with where I was in life and what God was doing. I mean... I know God has everything figured out for my life and knows what is best, but couldn't he just give me a FEW more good things?
Then I started to think about Paul's writtings in the New Testament book of Phillippians chapeter 4 verses 11-13. Let me inturrupt myself for a moment. This is probably one of the MOST misused verse in the Bible. People take this verse out of context to make it mean that when they are going through a difficult time such as the passing of a family member or sickness or losing a job, they say "yeah well it'll be okay because I have learned to be content in any situation. I can do ANYTHING through Christ. I will get my dream job because I believe in God." This is NOT what that verse means. Paul was saying that even though he had been imprisioned for his faith, lacked the very substance he needed to live, he knew that God was in control. Please do not be the kind of person that takes Scripture and bends it to fit what YOU want it to mean. The Word of God is not here to make you feel better about yourself or your sin. It is not a self-help book or a way to make you love yourself more. It is a way for God to speak to your heart, show you (and me) the sin in our lives, and bring us to repentence. We do not bring meaning to the Bible; rather IT brings meaning to US.
ok... that was my soap box for the evening. So, having said all of that, why do I bring this verse up? I am not being persecuted for my faith in any way. And that is just my point. This verse has helped me put into perspective my so-called "trials" or hardships in life. So often (especially in the area of contentment) I find myself thinking that just having that one thing would make me content. Yet I look at people like Paul in the Bible, like Jonathan Edwards and Jim Elliot, like the people in India and around the world being persecuted for their faith-- all of these people did great things for the Lord with what they had. They did not sit around and wait for that one thing that would make life so much easier or better. They realized that God had blessed them already, and they were responsible to use that for His glory.
I want to be the kind of Christian that, instead of waiting around for the Lord to give me that dream job or enough money or whatever else before I start to work for His glory, to use what he HAS given me right now. I may not be at the job I want to be at for the rest of my life, but I am still in a position where I come into contact with unbelievers and I can have an impact on them for the Kingdom.
What are you doing right now, where you are, with what you have? Are you sitting around waiting for that perfect opportunity to come along before you make an impact for Christ? The world is dying and so many Christians are sitting around with the cure to this awful disease called sin in their pockets. We ought to be living every minute of every day with the mindset of being surrounded by walking dead. Without a relationship with Christ, your family, friends, co-workers, bosses, and neighbors are bound for eternal seperation from God. Be content with what God has given you right now, today and use it share the Good News with the walking dead you come into contact with every day.