That elusive word contentment dances like a butterfly right in front of our eyes and then, just when we think we have it captured, the lovely creature escapes. So it seems with contentment. Am I right?
If asked, “What is contentment and how do we achieve it?”, what would be your response? Some say that it is an overall sense of wellbeing; others believe that it is a circumstantial condition which results when the relationships and realities of our lives fuel us with peace and happiness. And, the Bible tells us that contentment is a companion to godliness and the two result in great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)
It is this picture of great gain that has me captivated.
Daily Strength for Daily Needs, a volume that sits on my nightstand, contains an entry which expands our horizon for this 11-letter word. So powerful is the presentation, I have chosen to commit the content to memory and, also, to share it with you. Please read.
If we wished to gain contentment, we might try such rules as these:
1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather.
2. Never picture thyself to thyself under any circumstances in which thou art not.
3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another.
4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou dost thyself.
5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God’s, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. ‘The Lord will provide.’
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
Try to articulate your working definition of contentment.
What is the greatest robber of your contentment?
Which of the five statements above do you want to commit to memory?
Along with the rules suggested, these verses are highlighted: Hebrews 13: 5, “Be content with such things as you have,” and Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.”
How do possessions and circumstances tend to hold sway over our contentment?
Daily Strength for Daily Needs by Mary W. Tileston, E. B. Pusey, contributor
