Monday, January 10, 2011

Contentment

“As a rule, man’s a fool. When it’s hot, he wants it cool.
And when it’s cool, he wants it hot. Always wanting what is not.”

One of the many things that I've learned from my mom is to be contented and thank God for everything. If we complain about the weather, I'm using that as an example because it's winter and honestly I kinda *sigh* dislike it, she tells us to thank and praise God for it.

"Thank You Lord for the cool air and for giving us the opportunity to see and experience snow", says my mother a couple of times looking out the window while I repeatedly mutter about how cold it is and how the weather makes me lazy.

If it's summer and it's too hot, she tells us to think cool and she'll start saying "Thank You Lord for the sun and the warmth" out loud with all smiles, eyes closed, head facing the sky and sometimes spreading her arms wide as she feels the rays of the sun hit her skin; Her gratefulness to the Lord is so contagious and/or her spirit is just too happy for me to continue murmuring my complains about the burning weather that I end up doing what she does and end up feeling good.

My mom always use the weather to start her sermon about how people are most of the time dissatisfied and hard to please.

We, people, often upgrade our desires and goals whenever we reach one thing; It's actually not bad but what makes it bad is when our hearts become clouded with unhappy thoughts and when we start to have restless days because of our desires to reach those goals. It's bad when we start to feel helpless, insecure, the feeling of wanting to push and to step on people just to be on top and the unhealthy craving of wanting more.

The "I will have it by hook or by crook" or "I am getting there no matter what" statements, though they sound daring and driven is actually dangerous. I think that those words are from a person who forgets to check God's plan. We often see only our immediate circumstances and as a human nature, we automatically work on an action and we strive harder to get going to reach that somewhere we want our selves to be without even consulting Him.

I know it's hard to be patient especially when obstacles block our vision. I know it's too tempting to step higher, to walk further, to accomplish and have more but we must remind ourselves, I must keep in mind, that there is a time for everything. We may not understand everything and God may conceal the purpose of His ways, but we should remember that His ways are not without purpose.

We should learn how to be content in whatever circumstances. We should be, I pray that I will always be, able to say with confidence that "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 all this through him who gives me strength". (Philippians 4:12-13)

9 comments:

Manoj Kumar said...

Though iam agnostic....i liked your blog which has posts related to the human nature...

comming to the topic....this is what i feel...
desire is what drives the man to the extreme heights....being content with what we have is good. but u can scale greater heights if we have a desire..but anything beyond our range is completely out of my mind..like a middle class family should not dream to live in palace...here in these cases contentment is must

and you have your own writing style...please continue

Irene said...

I wrote a post similar to this a few days ago entitled, "Searching For The Missing Piece." It's about the feeling of incompleteness and discontentment that seems to me, so innate in all human beings. We look for something that we don't have when in fact there are a lot of beautiful things right in front of our eyes. We are just too blinded by our desire for other things to even be grateful for our blessings.

Great post, dear!!! I am now a follower! Take care and God bless! :-)

Anonymous said...

Very well said post----At a young age, you're not one of those young people who are so idealistic, self-centered ambitious people who are never contented but instead want to have more and more and more....You are blessed ...what you have may be exactly the things other people desire to have. :-)

Sarah said...

so true !!!

Anonymous said...

True, Paige. If you are dissatisfied, feeling not being valued by God, it has consequences for your thinking. You cannot write a good blog post, you cannot write a poem, if you feel neglected or punished. But if you are content and you really are grateful there will always be *more to it*. A thought of wisdom pops up, a line to a poem enters your mind, the love of your life shows up. Dissatisfied you are not receptive.

(\ _ /)
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Life is bad
to beings sad.


You must come and visit my home page! My home page is the web page of all times. I present wisdom having been hidden for centuries and I explain ... the Girl! :-)

See www.vaccinius.com.

Take care!

Anonymous said...

There is even references to this in The Bible. If you are grateful (content) you love The Lord. And Jesus said: "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." (St. Matthew 13:12, ref. 25:29) It is stated twice!

Your mother sounds like a wise woman. And I love your love for her.

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Be charity sincerity.

Anonymous said...

CARE

The one who got will get abundant.
The one who lacks will loose it all.
The promise of The Lord observant
we are content in any fall!


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crazycha18 said...

inspiring post.

yes, we should always be thankful in everything we have, even for small things.

...remember that God provides everything according to His own time.

sewa mobil said...

Nice article, thanks.