Let me be content.

I have developed a really bad habit. Always wanting more. But today, I want to see if I can change that by making my prayer, “Lord, let me be content.”

Scrolling is my new favorite past time. It’s like my phone knows exactly what to show me, to lure me in, and keep me looking. There is so much to see between Facebook and Amazon. Not to mention TikTok and Instagram. The latest and greatest gadgets, better decorating ideas, new everything! It feeds my “wanting more” complex. I cannot even determine if it is something I need or just something I saw on Amazon.

This wanting is the opposite of content.

Lord, let me be content.

1Timothy 6:8 says, “If I have food and clothes, let me be content.”

This verse reminds me, I have enough food. I also have enough clothes. Actually, I have clothes hanging in my closet that still have tags on them.

The word contentment means, “a state of being satisfied.” Looking further, it says, “Contentment is a state of being in which one is satisfied with their current life situation. If one is content, they are at inner peace.”

However, there is word for wanting more. It’s an ugly word, if you ask me.

Coveting!

When I realized the opposite of my contentment was coveting, it stung. I immediately thought of the 10 commandments, in which we are told, “Thou shalt not covet!”

“Covetousness is an extreme desire to possess more than what is needed.”

That realization dumped on me like a wheelbarrow of rocks on my head. I think I need to pause. Maybe even take a break from all this scrolling, looking, wanting. It is not healthy.

Give pause

When I pause long enough, I begin to recognize there are those that do not have more of anything. They do not have enough. Yet, they seem satisfied with their life. What am I missing? Could it be that my ‘more’ is stealing my everything else?

My ‘more’ is stealing my everything.

Isaiah tells us in Chapter 58 of the Message,

“What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
    sharing your food with the hungry,
    inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
    putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
    being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
    and your lives will turn around at once.”

Is that the key? To help others with what we have?

My sister told me a story once of her first mission trip to Kenya. I could see the twinkle in her eyes as she described this little piece of heaven in a village called Bodoi, pronounced ‘ba-doy.’ The people are so poor, yet they are filled with so much joy. They do not have what we have. There are very few cell phones, wi-fi is scarce, no televisions, and their floors are made of dirt. They have no indoor plumbing, very little water and not much food. Yet, in the midst of their poverty, they have something I do not. They are not only content in their meager surroundings, they are joyful!

That joy must have been contagious because my sister came back with it and spread it around with every story she shared. She went to do what Isaiah called her to do, ‘feed the hungry.”

Maybe that’s the key. The mystery. Just like we talked about last week; to be thankful in all circumstances.  And also, to share what we have with others unlocks special gifts God has for us.

So today, as I attempt to be content, giving God praise in all things, I will share what I have. I will scroll less and give more. I will be thankful in all things.

I challenge you to find a little contentment in this day as well. Start by making a list. Write out five things you are thankful for and five things you can give away. When you think you don’t have anything to give, you can always give away kindness. Pause, ask God to show you how.

Let us pray;

God of all the good and gracious gifts, thank you for contentment which leads to peace and even joy. Teach how to share with others and how to be thankful in all things. Forgive us when we fall short. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

P.S. Leave me a comment below and let me know how it goes. Forward this message to a friend who might need a little encouragement today. Post on Facebook and tag me in it. Until next time, practice being content by being thankful. -M