How to be Quite Content...

"I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.

I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little.

I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty.

Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything

in the One who makes me who I am."

Philippians 4:11-13 (MSG)

✶ Learn to lean on the goodness of God. Contentment isn't naturally a consistent state of mind, unfortunately. It's something we learn and continue to put into practice. The best way to learn is to study God's Word and pay attention to the character of God. Then, begin to learn to lean on the goodness of God. Why? Because circumstances, as you know, shift but God and His goodness do not. We always have a Rock on which we can stand. I believe contentment feels like that: it's solid. There's no wonder, no worry, no apprehension, no insecurity, no unmet needs. When I lean on the goodness of God and not my understanding (Proverbs 3:5), I learn to be content in this most uncertain world. Circumstances may shift, but you and I can stand firm on a God who doesn't.

✶ Focus on what you have. Discontentment occurs when our focus is on what we don't have. Complaining is a by-product of discontentment. To counter falling into the trap of discontentment, focus on all that you do have, what you have had, and what you will have. If all else fails, focus, then, on the Good Shepherd. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing." (Psalm 23:1 NIV)

✶ Give gratitude and praise. Looking at all we do have, leads us to a life of gratitude and praise. Thankfulness is a by-product of contentment. "In every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP) Give Him thanks for every circumstance because even when they seem bad, He is still good and He is still God. The attitude of gratitude is truly a catalyst of living a life of contentment. It's also God's will for us.

✶ Enjoy every moment. When you worry about the future or stay concerned about the past, you miss out on living in the present. The present is a gift. Contentment comes from enjoying the moment you're currently in because God is present in every moment.  "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can." (Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 NLT)

✶ Remember who you are in Christ. When circumstances shift from good to bad, from full to empty, from having a lot to having little, from mountaintop to valley, two of the greatest challenges we have are remembering who God is and remembering who we are in Christ. The way I see it, to live a life of being quite content no matter the circumstance, we must immerse ourselves and keep ourselves immersed in the Word of God. Therein lies the Truth, the Way, and the Life (John 14:6) we need to keep us in remembrance of who we are because of Whose we are. And by remembering who we are in Christ, we learn to lean on the goodness of God, to focus on what we have, to give gratitude and praise, and to enjoy every moment. These are indeed the keys to unlocking how to be quite content.