Chasing Contentment

Listen here:  https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/2bcd061a/chasing-conten...

Beguiling ... enchanting ... rapturous ... attractive.

I could use any or all of those adjectives to describe this thought from the psalmist.

While the New Year is young, let's talk about Contentment . . .

You know when you’re around it.

You know when someone has it.

And Man O Man, you know how much you want it.

Contentment. We let discouragement, anxiety and sometimes fear, comparison, a critical spirit, and unforgiveness too, rob us of contentment. 

Consider Psalm 23 again.  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want .1 

It seems David, the king, has chosen to be a sheep, and follow the Good Shepherd. Why, David had been a shepherd, so he knew all about sheep. He had kept his flock from falling into ravines, had led them to much-needed water, protected them from parasites and defended them from predators. He knew what it was to properly care for his father’s sheep; accordingly, David knew the commitment and sacrifice to be a good shepherd.

About a thousand years after David, came the promised One, Jesus. One day as he was teaching, he radically claimed “I am the good shepherd .”2 That Good Shepherd then laid down his life for his sheep, and I am so grateful to be one of them. 

When I follow the lead of this Good Shepherd,

I am not in want,

because I have within me the choice to be content.

David said, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want

       Might it be said this way? Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I am content.

I know he will meet my needs, and he alone is big enough

and good enough to hold my heart.

Contentment is always a choice. Several decades ago now, the following verses penned by my brother Paul caught my attention: “ I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances . 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 .”3 I can never read it or quote it without being moved by it. 

Desperately, I want to be able to say the same thing. 

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances . . . 

   Though I am in physical pain, 

     Though my heart aches over children who have turned away from God,

       Though the future seems uncertain     

          and I’m unsure what this year will hold for my family . . .

[what is your though ....? yet I will yet be content. I will learn to be content.]

I have learned the secret to being content. 

Contentment is a value to be learned, a way of thinking and trusting God.

Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I am content ~ yes, I have everything that I need. 

Note: it is valuable to remind ourselves about the difference between our needs and wants, right? 

It is the Lord who holds my fate in his capable hands, and he is trustworthy, so I have no need to worry or try to control things; control is an illusion anyway!

He knows the exact number of my days4--ain’t nothing gonna’ cut ‘em short.

The Good Shepherd will both lead and guide me in the ways I should go, and in my decisions too because when I lack wisdom, I will ask and he will give it to me.5 

And the troubles you are facing now? They are nothing compared to joy of Glory!6 

So let’s be present, count our blessings, thank God for each of his graces to us. Funny thing, I have noticed that when I am intentional about being thankful, contentment is a natural byproduct. Yes, contentment is possible, but you gotta learn to grab ahold of it, trusting and thanking God. Choose well. 

Prayer point: O Good Shepherd, may we realize our contentment in You alone, thankful for your unending love. Teach us to live in gratitude for your grace, meeting of our needs, mindful of your powerful presence in our lives. Thank you for your goodness and mercy today, may we freely give those to others. Amen.

It is Well - listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0BxNSFhk8w

In contentment,

Christine

PastorWoman.net

1 - Psalm 23.1

2 - John 10.14 

3 - Philippians 4.11b-12

4 - Psalm 139.16

5 - James 1.5

6 - 2 Corinthians 4.17