Contentment

Every morning, I get an email devotional from a service called Love Worth Finding, and sometimes I take some ideas from there. This morning's was about contentment, and I liked it enough that I wanted to share it here because it is a struggle for me at times.

Simply put, contentment is wanting what you already have. A concept that seems simple, but I have found much more difficult to actually live out. America is the society of more--we always want more, strive for more, need to have more. Don't confuse the point here: God obviously wants us to improve ourselves and stretch our abilities to their highest potential. Here, I am more talking about wanting more and other things so badly that we forget to appreciate what we are already have and acknowledge that it is more than sufficient for us to survive.

"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content." --1 Timothy 6:6-8

To illustrate my point, let's look at the two coaches from last weekend's epic college basketball matchup, Brad Stevens of Butler and Mark Few of Gonzaga. These two guys have each been with their school a while now, and though they have both received multiple opportunities to move up to larger schools, they have stayed put. Why? Because they have figured out that they have everything they want right where they are. Does that mean they have stopped trying to grow and improve? Of course not. But all the things that a coach wants when he takes a big-time college job are present in those two situations: name recognition, a chance to compete on a national level, etc. Simply put, these two have demonstrated that they want what they already have. 

And if we really want to master the art of contentment, try this next verse on for size:

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." --2 Corinthians 12:10

That's a tough one: being content with our struggles by seeing them as opportunities to develop strength and experience growth--one we could probably all use some work on.

I've devoted most of these blog entries to sharing ways of improving our lives, so I'm obviously not backing down from that or encouraging anyone to be complacent with where they currently are. I am not satisfied with where I am in life--I am looking every day to improve that, and rightfully so. But I also think it is our calling to be content with what we do have, knowing that God is fully aware of our needs and provides all we'd ever need to live. A tough balance, but one we can achieve through mindfulness.

Today's challenge: Step back a moment to look at all that God has provided you, and give thanks to Him for the abundance in your life.