What I am learning about contentment

What does contentment look like for you?

For a while now, I’ve been giving serious and careful thought to being content (happy or satisfied). My desire is to be content or even keeled in any situation that I find myself in, and to find my strength in Christ alone. To me, this means being calm in the midst of chaos, being at peace when dealing with difficult people, or whatever challenge comes my way.

A favorite author of mine wrote “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

My plan was to write today’s blog on ‘Contentment’ yesterday. However, I was tired, frustrated and pessimistic... anything but content. The night before, I woke up a few times during the night and then finally at 4:37 AM. I started thinking about a few things, including the possibility of getting another German Shepherd. (For those of you who know me and my husband well and who knew Krieger, our amazing GSD, please don’t get too excited, as we are still talking and praying about this. However, I may be warming up to the idea of getting another fur baby). Considering that my mind was awake and fully active, I decided that it might be best that my physical body follow.

As usual, I went downstairs and made a strong cup of coffee and did my devotional and reading. Although I finished my reading and praying, I kept getting sidetracked. This continued throughout most of my morning. I was working and accomplishing key tasks, but I continued to feel tired, powerless and on the verge of tears throughout the day. I became irritated with simple things, and I realized how incredibly negative my overall demeanor was. 

As I prayed for help getting out of the funk that I was in, almost immediately, the following thought popped into my head: "You know, YOU CAN CHOOSE! - You can choose to be joyful, You can choose to be thankful, You can choose to be positive, You can choose… to be content. And there it was… an answer to my negative attitude and my desire to be content in the midst of any situation.

What a revelation, I can choose to be content! 

Along with choosing to be content, I have realized that one of the key aspects to true contentment is right thinking. This clear-headed thinking requires a deliberate choice to focus on positive or uplifting things. I was listening to an author, Nancy Dufresne, and she was talking about wrong thoughts. She said that “If we are troubled in any way, our thoughts are on the wrong thing. We are putting our attention on the wrong thing.”  Yesterday’s experience was a prime example of this. 

Lesson learned: Regardless of the circumstances that you find yourself in, being content is a deliberate choice that we all have to make.