Contentment seems to be fleeting. No matter the generation, era or time, no one ever seems to be content. Growing up I developed a sense of lacing contentment. For years I chalked it up to being ambitious. I believed that if you “settled” then you were doing a disservice to yourself, your loved ones and all those people which had invested into me. As time went on, I realized contentment was fleeting. It didn’t matter what it was.
Money, love, friendship, acumen. The moment I reached the pinnace of contentment, I saw the new peak above the horizon. In addition, my idea of contentment was tied to wealth. The more I had, the more material things I had, the more content I would be. It took me many years and many heart aches to realize contentment was not something you reached but something you practice daily. I also had to rewire and rewrite my idea of wealth since it was tied to my contentment.
Change your thinking
The Lord made me realize real wealth doesn’t come from material things but from experiencing more than enough of whatever it is I have. This required me to carefully evaluate the total blessings the Lord has given me. Health, family, children, sound mind, love, friendships, etc. etc. There was so much to be thankful for. More importantly, eternal life. Meditating on that alone shot die enough for us to be content.
Immediately after pondering these things I fell down and thanked God. What’s more, I was convicted by the realization I had not allowed myself to be content out of fear. I was afraid that acknowledging the blessings would somehow jeopardize them. In addition to that, acquiring more was just another way to “cushion” losing any if those. The enemy was robbing me of that joy.
Paul reminds us that contentment is not about how much you have but what you have in the moment Philippians 4:12-13 .
Encouragement:
God has granted us so much. The very gift of Jesus Christ and fellowship with him for eternity should be enough.
Challenge:
What stops you from finding contentment with what you have?
Make a list of all immaterial things you should be content to have. Meditate on these and pray that God will ignite a passion for contentment.
