Cancelling Contentment

Ideas were buzzing in my head like angry flies caught in a bottle as I sat eating a picnic lunch by the lake. The lapping of the waves against the rocks and the swish of baby swans swimming to their mother should have been soothing me. But it came to me sharply that I was cancelling out the contentment of the moment with my worries. I couldn’t appreciate the fruit and sandwiches, the honeysuckle, or the sound of swooping gulls. We are always in danger of blotting out the enjoyment of what we have for the things we lack or by worrying about the future. The noise inside my head was drowning out the pleasant things to be tasted, felt, heard, smelled, and seen.

Perhaps that is part of what Paul meant when he said, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Phil. 4:11). Often we think that verse only commands contentment in adversity or when we have meager material goods or a lowly job. We apply it to the big sweeping problems of our life or to a situation covering a span of time. As I ate I thought of how to work at becoming content with life. An active contentment occurs as a moment by moment thing. Its ingredients are not necessarily some sweeping emotional spiritual experience after which one is always content no matter what, but they vary from hour to hour and from day to day. The ingredients are like raw fibers that we can weave moment by moment into a fabric of contentment.

We need to grow contented in order to grow spiritually. That is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We need to be contented with our food and clothing. We also need to concentrate on what God has given us to enjoy and not fret for what we don’t have. He’s given us the ability to enjoy life, but too often we fail to exercise it.

In Hebrews 13:5 we are told, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” God is at our elbow, wherever we are—at a lake side with ferns or a busy street corner filled with sounds of honking horns and screeching brakes. We should turn from the covetous thoughts that slip into our minds, and turn to appreciate the things we have right now. The fact that we are turned off by Pollyanna platitudes should not give us a smug superiority about finding something to take us a step further with Paul in learning to be contented. How, in the midst of difficult circumstances that absorb one’s energy and time, can one practice contentment? Taxes may be too high, the baby crying, the new roof leaking. Or someone spills coffee on a new chair. A student fails an exam. Your office is moving to a place you don’t want to live. But despite any troubles you might have, God has given you the ability to be contented, and he’s given you something to be contented about.

Without ignoring prayer or the available help the Holy Spirit provides, God has also given us help through our senses. We can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel his beautiful universe. Yes, things have been spoiled since the fall, and we are not going to be perfect until Jesus comes back. But we can experience contentment as we immerse ourselves in the enjoyment of God’s universe. Each of us should ask, “What am I contented with right now?” And God will give you something with which to answer that question. You will need to ignore the worries that buzz around and blot out the enjoyment of the moment. But if you look around and appreciate what God has given you, you can prevent your contentment from being cancelled out.

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