The Intersection of Contentment & Gratitude

There are certain undeniable combinations in life. Things that are better together than apart. Peanut butter and jelly, Simon & Garfunkel (for the over-50 crowd), and a Philly cheesesteak with cheese. Who would eat it without? You could think of many more, I am sure. For me, Thanksgiving, closely followed by Christmas, is a perfect reminder of two powerful characteristics that God wants developed in me. Contentment and gratitude are powerful together.

Contentment is an internal state of peace and satisfaction, largely independent of external circumstances. It involves a serene acceptance and peaceful appreciation of your current circumstances, rather than constant wishing for things to be different. The apostle Paul wrote... "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation." Both internal and external pressures constantly tell us to be discontented, and while we acknowledge that God desires some things to change, most of the time, what we want and what God desires do not align.

Contentment is active! It's not a passive resignation or giving up on striving for excellence; instead, it's about being free from the "tyranny of never enough." You can still have goals and work hard, but your happiness isn't conditional upon achieving those specific goals. Here are just a few ways to develop a healthy contentment.

• Live in the present: Anxiety often stems from worrying about the future, and regret from dwelling on the past. Contentment is rooted in being fully present in the moment and appreciating the "here and now."

• Letting go of comparison: The quickest route to discontent is comparing your life, achievements, or possessions to others—especially the curated highlights seen on social media. Focusing on your own unique path is vital. Comparison is always a losing proposition because your sinful nature will always find someone else to envy.

• Be thankful for imperfect gifts: I loved it when my girls were small and they would give me their homemade birthday cards and gifts. Even though they were made of paper, glue, and shells, they were perfect to me because of the giver. The truth is that everything I receive in this life outside of Jesus is imperfect. That imperfection was never meant to satisfy my soul ultimately. At the same time, we can be grateful for all these imperfect gifts because they remind us of the perfection that is to come in Jesus. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 Only God gives perfect gifts.

• Realize that contentment is mostly nurtured through gratitude. These two qualities are indelibly linked together. The power of a grateful heart is to know that what I have been given I could not have otherwise received. Scripture says, “Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful," Deuteronomy 8:18. No matter my skill and ability, God has blessed me with all I have. Gratitude is a powerful motivator that Jesus looked for in the lives of His disciples. The man who acknowledges he is an undeserving recipient of God’s grace will allow gratitude to reveal itself in everything he does.

  
  

So what is the outcome of contentment joined with gratitude? I believe it is generosity that is powerful when used in cooperation with God's work on earth. God's generosity is undeniable. "For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son." John 3:16 He continues to pour his grace, mercy, and patience on a rebellious world. We are the beneficiaries of His generosity, and we are never more like God than when we are giving. We all incline to hold onto what we have for our own use. When God redeems a person for His use, that inclination is supernaturally reversed. We no longer live for ourselves but for God and others through our contentment and gratitude. We need to embrace our new identity and deny self. Jesus perfectly exemplified this and then called all his followers to do the same: ^"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39 How often do you release your stuff, your rights, your desires to reveal God's work in you?

This highlights another powerful combination: all of me in submission to

God can transform life beyond my expectations. So this holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, let generosity flow from contentment and gratitude, made possible only through Christ.

Al Rossi BS, THM