The Secret of Contentment

The very idea that there was a secret to being content made me angry!

When I was eighteen I knew that my life would begin when I left home and went to college. At college I was restless and longed to be married. Once I was married I knew if only I had a child I would be satisfied. After the birth of my first child I waited for more children to make my family complete. Then I knew it was having a house that would bring contentment to my life. I didn't ask for much, just a little bit more and a little bit better.

One Christmas morning I observed as one of my children opened gifts with their head turned. This child was completely unaware of the gift they had received because all the attention was on the gift their sibling was unwrapping. That was a picture of my discontent. I was totally unaware of the value of what I had received but I was keenly aware of what the people around me were receiving. However, that was only part of my problem.

During one particularly dissaticfing chapters of my life I encountered Philippians 4. It was in this chapter that I found that Paul had learned the secret of contentment. I was puzzled. If God wanted me to be content why would He choose to make it a secret? I decided to go on a quest to find out what this secret was. It began with prayer followed by study and meditation on Philippians 4. This is what I discovered.

First, Paul wrote Philippians while he was imprisoned in Rome,therefor his contentment wasn't based on his circumstances. Paul wasn't looking at the gifts other's had been given, he wasn't even rejoicing in the gifts he had received. He was rejoicing in the giver. Because his joy was in the Lord he had learned to rejoice in hope. From the things he suffered he received the gift of endurance. With the gift of endurance came the gift of character. Focused on God's faithfulness he experienced joy. Suffering with Christ he began to know the power of the Resurrection. Going through both plenty and hunger he found that he could do all things through Jesus who strengthened him.

Lord Jesus, forgive me. Not only have I been like a spoiled child who didn't appreciate your gifts. I have not appreciated the giver of every good and perfect gift.  The secret wasn't that hard to understand when I finally looked up and saw that everything I had ever received I received from your loving hands. When my heart surrender to the love of your heart I knew contentment.