Category: Contentment

Posted on

The Sweetest Comfort I Know

My dear sister,

Have you ever noticed that in the months of November and December people in general consume a lot of sweets?  Sweet sugary foods are well known for the comfort and sense of pleasure they bring to those who eat them.  Experts say that sugar creates a chemical  reaction which washes over several areas of our brains all at once.  This is why when sweet foods are eaten they often give us the same feelings as those we experience when talking with a close friend and/ or watching our favorite movie.  With all of these “good time” feelings being experienced it makes it hard to stop or at the very least to slow down.  We, similar to the addict of other sensor pleasing substances, are looking for and anticipating that next wave of comfort.

The end of the calendar year is also infamous for people seeking personal happiness to a greater degree.  The world around us shouts: “Rejoice!” or “Joy, joy, joy!” and “Making spirits bright, laughing all the way… ho, ho, ho!”  This is not only annoying on the surface level but it is gut wrenching for those who are dealing with broken relationships, pain of loss and loneliness.

When people are unhappy with life they tend to want “some happiness” so the eyes and then the hands turn toward a quick easy fix… which is usually something sweet.  Ahh, the sweet rush of comfort that floods our minds so that we don’t have to think about missing someone or parenting our unruly child or being a helper and not a hinderer to our husbands etc.  “Hurry”, we say to ourselves; “bring me some Figgie pudding or I shall die!” No, I don’t think it is a coincidence that all of this craving for happiness which leads us to an over consumption of sugar is especially tied to this season of the year.

It is my observation that even my brothers and sisters in Christ are prone to wander into the land of sugar plums, candy canes and sweets galore.  Even when we know and proclaim that “Jesus is the reason for the season”.  Somehow our hearts disengage from our minds and before we know it we too are free falling into a sugar coma on our couch as the Hallmark Christmas Movie Marathon wanes on and on and on in the background. Like everyone else we awake with an even deeper ache in our stomachs (sometimes literally and not just figuratively).

So, what to do? Certainly we can have our cake and eat it too right? The key to true comfort my dear sister is to first recognize that you are hooked on a false sense of comfort. I mean, hello who doesn’t want the real deal? The purest form of true comfort comes from knowing our Heavenly Father who happens to  know all things, especially the things that bring comfort or discomfort to our souls.  He not only knows all things He has created all things, including our hearts which long for comfort and peace at a time when it seems hopeless to us.  He sees the bigger picture, yes, even beyond November and December each year. His perspective is eternal, it stretches from Alpha to Omega. We can trust Him to help us, to comfort us, to deliver us …

The sweetest comfort we can ever know my dear sister is already ours! He is Jesus Christ, the precious Son of God.  He is our true comfort in all times and in all ways. He is our true joy! He is our true strength! Why not feed on what is true and not false? Maybe you have already overindulged in what gives you a false sense of comfort, it is never too late to put that cookie down and to embrace the true and better comfort.

My prayer for all of us as we enter into a new year is that we will finish well (all the way to next November and December) and that we will fix our eyes on the best, the sweetest, prize of all, Jesus!  Unlike those cookies and candies He never grows old or stale. I will leave off with comforting words from the great comforter:

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Your sister in Christ,

Susan

 

 

Posted on

The Deadly Sin of Discontent

Dear sister,
 
What do you think of when you see this word, contentment?  The word is a dear friend and a bitter enemy to me…friendly when I allow it to take root, and an enemy when I choose anything other than the LIFE Christ offers me, in Him.  I have battled with the deadly sin of discontent for quite some time…I see it creeping into my heart with the most fickle of things, I see it written across my journal pages, parading itself as some sort of false godliness, and I see it when life comes crashing down around me.
 
Have you ever had the rug pulled out from under you?  A time when you say to yourself that it can’t get much worse….and then it does, a thousand times over?  I’m sure we all have, in some degree or another, but these are the times when God is most intently working on the discontent that breeds like a fungus in my soul.  Imagine a damp, dark basement, one you don’t want to enter, and that is what happens when discontent takes up residence.  
 
On my good days, I am able to delight in the fact that my Father disciplines me for my good, and not for my harm (Hebrews).  If you did not experience loving discipline as a child, it may be hard to understand the heart of our Father, but the trials come for our good, dear sister, to rid our souls of evil things like discontent, and make way for beautiful things like joy, peace, and contentment.  He loves us too much to allow us not to grow!
 
These past few months have provided several opportunities for me to choose contentment and run from discontent, and some days I live in victory, other days, in bitter defeat.  But my confidence and yours should come from a knowledge that we are victorious in Christ and what He accomplished for us on the Cross!  Because of His sacrifice, we are more than conquerors.
 
Take heart, in your battle to be content…small victories of holding your tongue, will lead to larger victories of improving a relationship, and most importantly, your precious heart to please your Father along the way will make you victorious with each effort you make!
 
Be encouraged, as the best is yet to come!
 
Ruth

Posted on

Satisfaction in a Job Well Done

Dearest Sister,

Contentment is a funny thing, isn’t it? It’s here one minute and gone the next, and at times seems completely subject to circumstances outside our control. Something happened to me last week that I think very well illustrates the fickle nature of contentment. I had just finished cleaning my house – a task I rather enjoy – and had stepped back to admire my hard work. The kitchen was clean, the bathrooms were sparkling, the carpet was dirt-free, and all dust bunnies had been banished. Everything was in its place and I could finally sit down with a relaxing cup of tea and enjoy my perfect little world. Well, for a little while at least. Later that same day, a pair of rambunctious dogs, a husband getting home from work, and a messy spaghetti dinner told a different story: Flight school books and Army boots laid amongst a dozen dog toys with stuffing strewn out all over the floor; Garlic bread crumbs and spaghetti sauce splatter artfully decorated the stove and counter tops while dirty dishes in the sink and muddy paw prints across the kitchen floor completed the ensemble. Sigh. In a matter of a few hours, the satisfaction I had felt in having a beautifully clean home was gone. I was no longer content. Sure, I could have easily cleaned up the messes with a little more hard work, but how long would the next wave of contentment last? A day? A few more hours? You can begin to see the pattern here. My contentment would only last until the very next mess was made. This example acted out in my life helped me to realize that the nature of satisfaction is fleeting – the nature of satisfaction in this world at least.

In our Wednesday night meetings at church, we have been doing a study on God’s truth and how it is so different from the “truths” of the world. Well, a couple of weeks ago the lesson touched on man’s hunger for satisfaction and contentment in life. The world’s answer to contentment is found in career success, close friendships, marriage, and children. It is also the driving force behind the desire for more shallow things such as nice cars, stylish clothes, sexual satisfaction, and well… nice, clean houses. All these things, as fulfilling as some of them are, are not God’s truth regarding contentment. What then is God’s answer to man’s endless hunger for contentment? Jesus’ words in John 6:35 come to mind – “I am the bread of life: he who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” What a reassurance this promise is in a world full of bread that never satisfies! Have you ever been to a bakery and seen all the different kinds of bread they have for sale? White, wheat, rye, pumpernickel, sourdough, bagels, muffins, pastries, rolls, buns, baguettes and the list goes on! Don’t get me wrong, we need to eat to live; but no matter how delicious or satisfying in the moment, not one kind of bread can promise everlasting relief from hunger the way Jesus can. The distractions of the world work in the same way: Honoring God in our marriages, raising well-behaved children, working hard at our jobs and taking care of our homes and possessions are all important and have their own place in life, but none of those things should take Christ’s place as our main source of contentment and peace.

 

My dear sister the world is very good at distracting us from this truth. Like so many others, I must confess, I have had my share of looking for contentment in all the wrong places. In my education, my marriage, my various jobs, my friendships and family relationships, and yes, even the cleanness of my house, I have sought a fullness that only Christ can give. I can tell you from personal experience that it is very disheartening to follow the world’s paths to contentment and always reach a dead end. On the other hand, I can also tell you from experience that following God’s path to contentment has been more freeing and satisfying than any other event in my life. That’s not to say that even the most faithful of believers won’t wander from time to time and seek contentment elsewhere. We are only human, living in a fleshly and sinful body. However, if we truly believe that Christ is the the bread of life then we will always find ourselves coming back to the satisfaction only found at His feet and in His word.

 

As I write to you now sister I long to know; From where does your contentment come? I urge you to ponder this. Do you hunger, as I have often done, for something fleeting? Maybe praise from your boss or recognition from your spouse for a job well done? Appreciation for being a good friend, a loving mother, or a generous person? The satisfaction of a clean, beautiful home? We should all hunger for something far more lasting than this world, or the people and achievements it provides. We need to hunger for Christ, for it is only at His feet where we will find a contentment that completes us and is one that is much more profound than any satisfaction we can find here on earth. It is there for the taking, all we have to do is come. Oh, how wonderful are the promises of God!

Posted on

A Gift From God

My Dear Sister,

I am convinced that there is no greater state of being than that of contentment!  Believers and unbelievers alike seek it in as many ways as can be devised.  However, it seems clear to me that contentment is a gift from God.  It springs up in our heart when God gives us faith to believe.  Believe first in Him, believe in His Word, and believe that His Son Incarnate died to save us from Hell.  Without faith in Jesus, no one is saved from Hell.

Genuine contentment, Sweet Sister, comes only from God.  He gives us what we need as we live in this world, AND He is preparing a better place for our eternal home—Heaven. Therefore, everything we do and think and say and feel should have Jesus at the center.

I love the hymn; Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.  The chorus continues, Look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.  Jesus is our all in all—every need, want, craving and desire is satisfied in Him. We are co-heirs with Him, as the Children of God, and so, you and I are the sisters of Jesus, Princesses around the Throne of God, our Father, and the King of Kings.  Ah, what contentment— there is nothing I shall want!

Psalm 131 so succinctly and sensitively describes the soul in sweet contentment.  It is a tiny psalm, so let’s read it together:

1 LORD, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.

2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.

You see, Sister, as we are able to call God, LORD, we can chime in with the psalmist and be content without desiring those things that are beyond our reach or ability or comprehension.  We may gently be rocked in our Heavenly Father’s mighty arms, be weaned by His promises, and be quieted in the contentment of His plan and provision for us.

Blessings and Love,

Mimi

Posted on

Desires and Contentment

My dearest sister,

Do you ever struggle with being content? I sure do. I want to share with you what God has been showing me of my own heart lately. I struggle with contentment as a single woman longing to become a wife and mother. My desire for marriage is so strong that I often find myself despairing of my singleness, wondering how much longer I’ll have to wait for God to bring the right man into my life.

I began to think that being content was a hopeless pursuit, because I could not rid myself of my desire for a husband. I gave into temptations to self-pity because I wasn’t trusting in my Lord and Savior. It’s a tough place to be, dear sister, and I’m sure you can relate.

Then, I was reminded that God is with us even in the strongest storm! He showed me that I needed to renew my mind by seeking after Him through the reading of His word and prayer. But I had a problem. I still have a problem, it is called sin. In this case, the sin that manifested itself in my heart was a desire for self-pity. I realized that I would rather feel sorry for myself, for the things that I don’t have (i.e. a boyfriend) than be thankful for every spiritual blessing that God has blessed me with in Christ (Ephesians 1). I didn’t want to change my thinking; I didn’t want my mind to be renewed through the word of God. Thankfully, God didn’t give up on me! He never does when He’s dealing with His princesses, and as daughters of the King that’s exactly what you and I are. He reminded me that I am His beautiful princess and that He has wonderful plans for me: “plans to prosper [me] and not to harm [me], plans to give me hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). He doesn’t want me to be exactly like someone else or live the same life as another person. He wants me to live out the life He has planned for me! And I don’t know about you, but I’m betting that His plan is a lot more exciting than my own.

God reminded me too, that I am not on this earth to pursue my own pleasures or make my own plans. I am to follow His plan, for that is far better. My purpose is not to live a life completely of my own design, fulfilling every desire that should arise in my heart on my own time-table. No, dear one, my purpose and your purpose in this life is to bring glory to God and exalt Christ, showing Him to be preeminent over all things (Colossians 1:18).

So, how do I (or maybe you) become content? I remember, and still experience, how I would use my feelings to determine whether or not I was content. No wonder I couldn’t achieve my goal. Our feelings are so fickle that it’s a wonder people place so much trust in them, even using them to make big life decisions like who they will marry or what job they will take. But something I found curious as I was searching the Scriptures was that God never said anything about feeling content. Rather we are called to be content. Who we are and what we are is always a choice. Contentment is no different. We must make a decision for contentment in order to enjoy it and increase our thankfulness for every blessing God has given us. You and I don’t have to stop wanting something or deny that your heart has deep desires. God gave us those desires—desires for friendship, intimacy, marriage, motherhood (the list goes on)—they are not evil in and of themselves. It is when those desires become preeminent, when they begin to even rule our hearts that we have crossed over the line with God.  Instead, we must trust God that He will fulfill those desires in His timing (not mine and yours) and thank Him for working out His perfect plan in our lives and for blessing us far more than we could ever deserve.

Trust in Him, today, my dear, beautiful sister.  Be Content!  Delight yourself in the Lord for you are a daughter of the King, His princess and guess what? He loves you!

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1).

Your sister,

Kayla