We have talked about the two Cs which are the condemned and the conformed. Today we want to look at the third C which is the contented.
The first two have a lot to do with the emotional reaction of people- how they feel. Contentment is more a state of being than feeling. You have to be content than feel content.
“And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.” 2 Kings 5:23
This Bible story goes into the dialogue between Naaman and a man by the name of Gehazi. He approached Naaman with a request, and before Naaman could respond to his request, the first two words to Gehazi was, “be content…”. If you read into the story, you realize Gehazi was greedy and a liar. Anyway, my point to this bible reference was contentment is more a state of being than a feeling.
To be is a matter of choice- it is a decision. The contented don’t have everything; all their ducks are not in a row, they don’t have everything perfect. They may have not achieved some goals; they have had some hits and misses, yet they choose and decide to be content. Very rarely, do you come across such people this season. They have a calmness about them and are able to get into the spirit of Christmas and loose themselves among friends, family and loved ones.
Since they (contented) are a rarity, why don’t we make a decision this time to be among the contented who are counted? A personal example, my wife and I are contented this year, not because we hit ALL of our goals for this year. We hit some, failed at some and missed some, but overall it has been a great year and we are not complaining. Why? Because we choose to be contented.
How do we experience contentment? When we are thankful and have a heart of gratitude, it is easier to have an attitude of contentment. To be grateful, you just have to remember to count your blessings and name them one by one. This December, I embarked on this exercise (still doing it). I have been shocked- so much goes on without taking notice to stop and say thank you. I am grateful to God for many, many things and thankful that I have life. Why don’t you try this exercise after reading? It will cure us of dissatisfaction, a feeling of underachievement and our attitude of grumbling and complaining.
May this season count and don’t let this go down the drain. Remember, where you are now is a matter of perspective.
I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas filled with fun, excitement and gratitude. I hope this will give you a renewed sense of hope for the new year and the next decade ahead. Let me also say thank you for the amazing feedback I have have received over the past two weeks on this subject. Have you ever thought of something and said, “this is a foolish idea“? Well, when this thought came to me to write, I said it was a foolish idea, but decided to “write and see”. Thanks again for the vote of confidence.
Till I come your way again…
Peace & Love
Pencilled Thoughts 