Contentment

Contentment: a state of happiness and satisfaction

What makes you happy and satisfied? When do you feel the most happiness and satisfaction in your life?
There is a strong link between thankfulness and contentment. And being thankful is a choice. It is a choice that we decide to make every day, every hour, every moment.
I struggle with contentment. I think a lot of us do. I believe that it is in our sin nature to be envious, selfish, and discontent. But I/we have to fight it.

"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."  Genesis 4:7

This is one of the verses I studied this week in BSF. What happens when we ignore sin? It doesn't just go away... it grows.

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:15

Sins that we struggle with, if ignored, can grow and become debilitating habits. And to break a habit, you have to create new habits. It's a choice.

So contentment... it's so hard in our society to not compare and notice everyone else and their blessings.  I think if we could put as much effort into counting our own blessings as we do in counting each other's blessings, we would be over-flowing with JOY and thanksgiving. Why is it sometimes I focus on all the things I don't have instead of the opposite? Where is my focus? I believe God convicts us of our personal sin and brings us to repentance with MERCY.

I am trying to choose to be thankful. Every day. But it is taking practice. I wake up and begin thanking the Lord for things I'm grateful for. When the kids sleep long enough for me to finish getting ready, I thank the Lord. When we make it out the door on time with ease, I thank the Lord. When Bella and I have a great school day, I thank the Lord. When the kids sleep long enough for me to drink a cup of hot tea, I thank the Lord. When I'm preparing dinner and see our full pantry, I thank the Lord. When the weather is beautiful, and the kids are laughing and playing outside, I thank the Lord. When Mark arrives home safely from work, I thank the Lord.
And you know how I feel at the end of the day? Exactly like this...

"You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Psalm 23:5-6

I am so grateful, content, and at peace with my circumstances. I am FULL of praise. God's goodness and love overwhelms me.

But what happens when I spend the day wallowing in self-pity, getting easily aggravated, looking at everyone else's life on FB, Instagram, and blogs? I start to compare. I start to feel sorry for myself. I start to notice all the things I don't have instead of what I do have right in front of me. When we find ourselves being envious of God's blessings on others, we need to check ourselves.

There's a saying... Comparison is the death to contentment.

Personally, I have to be really careful with social media. I love keeping up with friends and family, seeing sweet pictures, and hearing funny stories. But it can be a dangerous trap. I have found that when I do look at it, it needs to be at the end of the day. I have to try and spend the day loving and living in my circumstances and serving the Lord with ALL of myself. And when I do put forth that effort, this verse starts to become real...

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."             Philippians 4:12

Will you join me in a mission of gratitude? Will you choose to look around and give God glory and praise without ceasing? Give the best of yourself to God everyday. I believe you will begin to see more clearly and love more deeply. You will feel immense gratitude for the thousands of ways you see God's blessings throughout the day.

I have "good" and "bad" days... whatever that means. I forget to be thankful. I get upset. I feel sorry for myself. I am quick to anger at times. I can be impatient. I lose sight. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, and we are not perfect. But we must not give up on fighting it.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matthew 6:19-21

Be encouraged! I pray that if you're reading this, and you can identify, you are comforted knowing you are not alone. Choose to be thankful.

You want to know what I am thankful for at this moment? That my kids rested long enough for me to write this post! :) It really is the little things that add up...

*I added this after I had already posted. I hope this post doesn't sound preachy or self-righteous. That is not my intention at all. It is really just my inner monologue... a struggle I have that I'm working on. My intentions are to be an encouragement and motivator for anyone that may need it. I don't want to be counter-productive here. Okay, that's all... for now. :)