I recently read about a child that wanted a Happy Meal because of the toy it contained. Her parents said no, that the toy was cheap and only made the meal higher.
The little girl really wanted the toy, so she began to beg. When saying please ten times did not work, she resorted to more desperate measures: She began to bargain. “Please mom and dad. I want this Happy Meal and toy more than I ever wanted anything before. If you will let me have it, I won’t ask for anything for a long time, maybe never again. I’ll quit complaining when you ask me to clean my room. Also, I’ll be happy and content for the rest of my life.”
Only a child would believe a Happy Meal toy would make them happy. Right? “Only a child could be foolish enough to believe that a change in circumstance could bring lasting contentment. Or maybe not. Maybe when you get older, you don’t necessarily get any smarter; your Happy Meals just get more expensive.” (John Ortberg)
In America
“If I had a better house, I’d be happy.”
“If I had a girlfriend, I’d be happy.”
“If I had a boyfriend, I’d be happy.”
“If I had the right spouse, I’d be happy.”
“If I had no spouse, I’d be happy.”
“If I had a larger bank account, I’d be happy.”
“If I had kids, I’d be happy.
“If my kids were grown, I’d be happy.”
“If my kids were small again, I’d be happy.”
“If I had a certain car, I’d be happy.”
The list goes on and on, but the happiness seems to never come, at least not for very long. Could it be that things cannot bring contentment?
The apostle Paul said, “I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am… I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency.” (Phil. 4:11-13 Amp)
When discontentment leads us to seek the Lord, it is not a bad thing. Finding our sufficiency in Christ will lead us to a life of contentment, joy and peace.
However, when we seek to have our discontentment overcome through things or other people, we like Eve, will partake of forbidden fruit. When she saw the fruit was delightful to look at, and to be desired to make one wise, she ate it.
How can we find contentment in a world of discontentment?
Contentment is found in peace. One of the over seventy words used to describe the Hebrew word for peace (Shalom) is contentment. Contentment is the result of a heart at peace!
Peace is a gift, but it must be received. We receive the gift of God’s peace through relationship with Jesus, through knowledge of who Jesus is, and through trusting in Jesus as the one who has already given us all need to live a fulfilled life. “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”
Ultimately, we choose to receive the gift of peace, or we choose to pursue satisfaction from some other source besides God. Peace brings contentment, but all other sources will ultimately leave us unfulfilled and dissatisfied. Will you choose to live in the tent of contentment or the tent of discontentment? The choice is yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment