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For many years, I was able to think of contentment only in terms of material possessions. During that time, if you asked me why people are not content, my automatic answer was, “Because they want more and more stuff without appreciating what they already have.” Unfortunately, my canned response didn’t bring me much comfort as I worked through my own issues with contentment. I never struggled with wanting a larger home or fancier car or designer labels in my closet. My challenge was fretting over whether our lives would work out the way I thought they should. My husband, Michael and I both were raised with the belief that if you work hard and stay out of trouble, you will get ahead in life. As good as this notion sounds, unfortunately it has not always been our experience in real life. When we left our jobs a decade ago to begin working for ourselves, our businesses grew slowly despite all our hard work. Michael studied for years to get a PhD but has not able to consistently find work in his area of specialization. We suffered several other setbacks beyond our control. On many occasions, I complained to God, “Why is life so hard sometimes?” In the same way, your contentment issues may have nothing to do with material possessions but rather with circumstances—challenging situations in life that haven’t improved despite your best efforts. Although we hope and pray for healing from illnesses or resolution for difficult conflicts, the reality is, these prayers are not always answered as we hope. Contentment means running the race when things are going well—and continuing to run even when they are not. Regardless of the source of your discontentment, understand these three things: 1. Contentment is within your grasp. Be encouraged. You can learn, as Paul did, to be at peace with your circumstances. Forget how green the grass appears somewhere else. By continually focusing on what is over there, you are unable to see the blessings of what’s right here in your own backyard. In my quest for contentment, this meant I needed to remind myself continually of the things that had gone right for us, rather than focusing on the things that had gone wrong. 2. Contentment thieves should be arrested. Pesky thought patterns rob you of your contentment and peace of mind. These thoughts start so innocently but can lead to major chaos. Something as harmless as admiring a friend’s marriage, job, or financial situation can easily shift to comparing and finding inadequacy in your own marriage, work, or finances. The habit of dwelling on what-ifs can be equally dangerous. Lingering on what might have been only casts a dark shadow over what is. The best way to deal with contentment thieves is to be aggressive in squelching this form of mental static. Refuse to allow your mind to wander down those paths. I’ve gone so far as to say an authoritative “No!” out loud to remind myself that these thoughts are not welcome. 3. Thankfulness can be cultivated. Contentment and thankfulness go hand in hand. The more thankful a person is, the more content she’s likely to be. The less thankful a person is, the less content she’s likely to be. Even if your circumstances aren’t what you would consider ideal, choose to be thankful. And during the most trying times, you can certainly find something to be thankful for, even if it’s just the knowledge that God is with you. You’ll be amazed at how little you have to complain about when you spend a majority of your time giving thanks. Contentment grows as you nurture it with gratitude. So how is your level of contentment these days? Has discontentment cluttered your heart and confused your mind? If so, it doesn’t have to be that way. Become a student of contentment. Learn to be content on the inside, no matter what’s happening on the outside. Kiss the clutter of discontentment good-bye so you can welcome the clarity of being at peace with your circumstances. [Excerpt taken from: From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out © 2007 by Nancy Twigg, published by Standard Publishing (www.standardpub.com). Used by permission.]
Article Source: http://christian-topics.info
Byline: Nancy Twigg is an author and speaker who loves inspiring women to live more simply. To learn more about Nancy’s speaking and writing ministry, visit her online at www.keepitsimplesister.com
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