September 2012 Guest Post

This month's guest post is by Rachel. 

   Rachel blogs at Peculiar Treasures, Tehilla Magazine, & Girls With Curves.

   This is the last guest post on Contentment for the time being. The next 3 month's Guest Post Topic is not set quite yet.

   So, without further adieu, Rachel:

What is Contentment?

What is contentment? The definition of contentment is "A state of happiness and satisfaction". The world and media whispers in our ears every day that in order to be content you have to have the perfect physical appearance, you have to buy this new item, you have to wear the latest fashion and you have to have a boyfriend or you're not 'normal'. But all these messages are directed to everything on the outside. Not once do you get an article in a magazine like Teen Zone telling you how to be a better sister, friend, and daughter. But rather it focuses on criticizing other people because of what they're wearing or gossiping about what's happening in their lives.

So how do we become content in a world like this? I read a quote once that said, 'Contentment is the realization of what you already have'.

Contentment is not looking at other people and envying a part of their life or wishing and wondering what your life would be like if 'this' was different! This has been a long journey for me. I used to fall into a deep pit of envy, jealousy and discontentment almost every time I walked out the door, read a book or watched a movie. Because you walk out the door and there are all these women out there with these seemingly perfect bodies, you read a book about someone's perfect life or you watch a movie about things that don't really happen. The love story in movies can make it look like a fairy tale and these stories don't really show the hard reality of it all, then you become discontent because you want a romance like that one that looks perfect on the big screen, then you become dissatisfied with what you already have.

I can either become discontent about living like a gypsy and not having a set place to call home or I can be content about having a roof over my head and food on the table.

I can either be discontent and angry that my parents got divorced or I can be grateful that God has brought a man into my mom's life who truly makes her happy.

I can be discontent about not having friends to hang out with on the weekends or I can be content about the very special few friends that I have even though they're either on the Internet or I can't see them often.

I can be discontent about not having an earthly father giving me love and protection or I can be content that I have a heavenly Father that trumps any earthly father no matter how perfect they seem.

It's all about perspective. You can see the good or you can see the bad. It's your choice. Paul was happy and content even when he was in prison. He could easily have been miserable and complained to God asking why this is happening to him but ... instead he saw it as a way of furthering the Kingdom of God.

"But I would that you should understand, brethren, that the things which happened to me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places." Philippians 1:12 & 13

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13

So what will you choose?

   Thank you for writing such a great post on contentment, Rachel!

   I hope you all were blessed by Rachel's words of wisdom today ;-)