Contentment

Tom Barnard

 

“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation,

whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.”

Philippians 4:12 NLT

 

I read about the results of a study by a noted psychologist who conducted a survey among several thousand adults. The question he asked was, “What do you live for?” He discovered that better than 9 out of 10 said they simply were enduring the present while they waited for something better to happen tomorrow. Only 6 percent of those surveyed said they considered their present relationships or activities were reasons for living. Here is a poem I like. I do not know the author, but the advice is excellent:

 

During the years since time began, Today has been a friend of man;

But in his blindness and his sorrow, He looks to yesterday and tomorrow.

Forget past trials and your sorrow. There was, but is, no yesterday,

And there may be no tomorrow.

 

The Apostle Paul got it right. He had learned the secret of contentment. Earlier in his letter (Philippians 4:6, 7) he laid it out for the people.

 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.”

 

Heavenly Father, I remember the old saying that guilt is concerned with the past, and worry is concerned about the future, but contentment enjoys the present. Teach me how to enjoy the present to the full. I get tangled up when I try to correct the past, and I am frustrated when I try to take care of tomorrow’s problems today. Keep me focused on what I can handle today. I know that will lead me to your peace, for which I thank you in advance. Amen.