April 30th, 2020: The Art of Contentment

 Smile, Beam, Content, Happiness, Contentment, Happy, Happy Face ...

 
Many years ago I wrote this down in my journal and it somehow jumped back at me when I was out for a walk today.
"A content heart always finds ways to praise God and a discontent heart always finds ways to test God".

How do we know that we are content? Contentment gives us confidence in trusting God while things are not simple and easy. Unexpected events don't throw us off. We don't jump to negative conclusions hastily because someone behaves strangely. Trusting God is not blind. It is a chance to allow ourselves to see things that are not obvious to us physically.

It gives us the ability to be thankful for our daily bread. My wife and I were having some homemade chicken noodle soup last week for lunch, we both said to one another that we are grateful for such a simple and yet heartwarming meal. Maybe we learn to appreciate the simplicity of life when we learn how to pay attention to one another and realize God's blessings are not for us to keep.

Contentment is a choice and not a consequence. We have options to choose between being motivated by things and possessed by events of life or being deepened by our true appreciation of life as God's gift. It is a choice that is based on the knowledge of being loved by God. I am safe because of my contentment.

Proverbs 14:30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

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