“I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content.” Philippians 4:12 TEV
“Contentment is not getting what you want, but enjoying what you have.”
My thoughts today consider “a satisfied heart.”
Think about this for a minute: who is the most contented person that you know, and why do you think they are? Have you learned to be content? Does it seem strange that people have to learn to be content? Many assume that contentment is something that comes more naturally to us? But it seems not so natural at all. Some wrongly assume they will be satisfied when they get what they want, and many people’s idea of a satisfied life begins with these words, “If I had . . or when I get . .” Too many people procrastinate their contentment to some unspecific time and circumstance in the future.
How sad that a person’s happiness is tied to having something they do not have now, or is deferred until some unknown time in the future. I believe that in life contentment comes from gratefully enjoying what God has given you, and finding that sufficient. “Be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'” Hebrews 13:4-5 NIV. A truly satisfied heart is one that rests in the safety and sufficiency of God’s care and character.
Now doesn’t that sound a lot simpler than we make it? “Be content with what you have!” This is not a matter of wealth or the lack of it. There are people with little or no material possessions whose lives can be more preoccupied about money and wealth than those having it.
One of the Ten Commandments is “You shall not covet . . anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 21:7 Coveting is the polar opposite of contentment. It is being preoccupied – even distressed – with what another has that you do not. Coveting is the enemy of contentment.
Paul wrote that he “learned the secret of being content.” Know this, contentment can be learned, and in doing so you will find that a satisfied heart is independent of your present circumstance, if you make it so. You learn to be content when you understand that however varied your circumstances may be, good times are not the source of real satisfaction, nor need bad times void that.
Paul wrote, “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 want.” Philippians 4:12 NIV. Contentment is not found in getting what you want, but learned by enjoying what you have.
My prayer for you today is to teach your heart to find its lasting satisfaction in God.