I often think about why so many people in the world, especially Christians, are discontent. Discontentment and emotional instability go hand in hand. I have found that if I am discontent, then I easily get upset, but if I choose to be content no matter what is going on, then my emotions are balanced also.
We have periods of contentment, but being consistently content is another matter entirely. I think it is safe to say that I only know a small group of people I would consider to be consistently peaceful and joyful and consistently content. I believe our thoughts have a lot to do with our moods. Some thoughts improve our moods and increase our level of contentment, and others send them spiraling downward, making us unhappy and discontent. We can think ourselves happy and we can think ourselves sad! Since this book is about the power of meditating on certain thoughts, let’s apply the principle to contentment.
How we talk to ourselves definitely affects our emotions, so if I talk to myself properly, I can stay content and emotionally stable.
One of the main thought patterns that causes discontentment is focusing on what we don’t have and what people are not doing for us. When we think about what we are not and begin to compare ourselves with other people, we also become discontent. On the other hand, when we get ourselves and our needs and desires off of our minds, life always looks brighter.
We must choose to think about how blessed we are. Just a few days ago I was talking to the Lord and pondering my blessings in life and I had a fresh revelation of how blessed I really am and of all God have done for me in my life. Had I been thinking about what I did not have, and what I still need, that moment of realization would have evaded me.
The apostle James writes about another source of discontentment when he states that we are discontent because we try to get what we want for ourselves rather than asking God for it and trusting Him completely. We see what others have and become jealous, which creates discontentment in our hearts. We should only want what God wants us to have and we should trust Him enough to believe that if we ask for something and don’t get it, the only reason is that He has something better in mind for us. When we pray, we also need to realize that a delay is not always a denial.
The apostle Paul told Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain, something to be desired and sought after (see 1 Timothy 6:6). I fear that we seek many things that do us no lasting good and often fail to seek the things that will truly satisfy us. The Bible says in Psalm 92:14, 15 that the righteous will bring forth fruit in old age-the fruit of trust, love, and contentment-and that these fruits will be living memorials to show that the Lord is upright and faithful. I believe that totally trusting God and loving people is the pathway to contentment, so it is interesting to me to find them linked together in this passage.
Clearly, not trusting God and not loving people are sources of discontentment and will make us unhappy.
I have seen people who at the end of their life only had regret about the way they had lived and felt no satisfaction and contentment, but I think it is beautiful to see an elderly person who says, “My life has been good. When it is time for me to die, I can die happy.” People who are discontent have never developed a habit of being appreciative and thankful. Honestly, just to be able to walk, see, and hear is a great blessing and one that people who are crippled, blind, or deaf would be extremely content with. If you were in the hospital you would be content just to sit in your own home in your favorite chair. We always think we will be content when… but why not choose to be content right now?
Even if you don’t have what you want or need right now, keep a positive attitude and remain hopeful.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12), but those who refuse to give up hope remain joyful. Be content with what you have, refuse to focus on what you don’t have; love others; and stay hopeful concerning what you want and need.
Think about It
What are your blessings? What have you been complaining about lately? Are you jealous of anyone or anything they have?
