Contentment: The Ultimate Acceptance

Contentment is the ultimate acceptance of yourself, your surroundings, your past, and your future.  Yet, reaching this blessed state of contentment is not an easy task.  Satisfaction- when you have real unmet needs, freedom from worry when you have overwhelming concerns, patience in letting God work when pressures abound seem like impossible dreams.  Happiness-despite heartaches caused by the past, in the midst of tragedies experienced in the present, based on promises trusted for the future- is not merely a human pursuit but demands spiritual resources only found in the indwelling Holy Spirit.

God has chosen not to give you contentment as a gift.  He chose rather to teach you to be content as you allow him to be ruler in your life. Contentment is learned (Phil.4:11)  As you trust God's gifts to be sufficient and his assignments to be appropriate, you can accept the way you look, the means you have been given, the family in which you are living, the struggles through which you have gone, the job you have, being content and fulfilled in all (2 Cor. 3:5, 6; 12:9).

On the other hand, acceptance does not mean stagnation.  Dissatisfaction with areas in your life that can be changed, within divine guidelines, may help you to see that something is missing.  When this happens, you dare not adopt the "Canaan" syndrome of complaining.  Remember that God's people were not allowed to enter the Promise Land because of their murmuring (Josh. 5:6).  Rather, take that dissatisfaction to the Lord and see what He would challenge you to do, being willing in the meantime to be "content" as you work toward ultimate goals.  This is the balance between "I have learned to be content", and "I can do all things through Christ" (Phil. 4:11,13).

You must trust that God has given you everything needed for this moment in time.  You should be content with yourself, your family, your surroundings, your job, or your past.  As you depend on the Lord, you are content as you pursue His goals for your life.

                                                                                                      ~The Woman's Study Bible~

Thought: How are you worthy to receive bigger, better and newer if you aren't thankful for what you have now? Know that without contentment, you will never be happy, because there will always be something out there bigger, better and newer than what you have.  Besides, many have lost everything by jumping fences, because they thought that the grass was greener on the other side only to find out that it wasn't even grass, but some fake turf or a spray on color. : ) So enjoy what you have now and what is meant for you will come in time.....if it was to be yours...

P.S. Don't try to keep up with the Joneses, because they are broke!