Something that has been on my mind since coming home this summer is the concept of contentment. I want to truly embrace the moment that has been given me, not just tolerating an experience while frantically looking around for a distraction or casting my eyes ahead to the next new thing on the horizon.
The other day I was reading a blog and one of the comments used the phrase, "mere contentment"; I have to admit, I was quite startled. Mere contentment, I thought, wow, this must be a really easy thing, am I a complete failure for not achieving it yet, or is there perhaps more to it than is commonly believed.
Ecclesiastes has a lot to say on the subject, actually, the entire book could be summed up with the idea that it is good to find contentment in the work of your hands and the food on your table, don't stress, just live life. Crazy enough, Jesus echoes these same sentiments when he points to the lilies of the field and explains how the Father provides arraignment finer than Solomon's attire. He points out the birds of the air and how they never lack for food, because the Father provides for them, how much more will he provide for our needs?
Contentment is more than just positive thinking, it is seeing the beauty of the reality of a situation and glorying in the idea that God created it just the way that it is. This is incredibly hard to do, and I often fail, but seeing each day as a gift, instead of a right, is the first step on the path to contentment. "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people..." (Ephesians 6:8) If we are serving the Lord wholeheartedly we will find contentment because we are giving back to the one who gave us all we have.
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