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Contentment
Contentment
is one of life's greatest blessings. But contentment is
not something that can be sent down, nicely wrapped up
like a Christmas gift from heaven. It is a state of mind.
It is not dependent upon our situation or our
circumstances. Many people are contented and happy in
circumstances where others would be thoroughly
discontented. Some people are discontented under the most
favorable circumstances. Contentment is a structure we
build ourselves. It is a state of mind we develop. It is
an attitude toward things that comes to us through careful
cultivation. It is something that lives inside us, not
something that circumstances and conditions create.
"If happiness hath not its seat And center in the
breast, We may be wise, or rich or great, But never can be
blessed."
Contentment is sometimes spoken of as a lazy virtue. Perhaps
that is because some people are content with things
with which they ought not to be content. We should
never be satisfied to permit things to exist that ought
not to exist. We should never be satisfied to be less
than our best. There are wrongs that need right ing.
There are conditions that need improving. There is progress
that needs to be made. A sort of contentment that can
view these things with indifference, ignore
responsibility, evade duty, should be called by an
entirely different name. When we have done our duty, met
our responsibility, corrected those things that need
correction so far as is possible for us, then we may have
real contentment. Contentment does not mean surrender to
conditions. It does mean being satisfied in the
circumstances and conditions that exist for which we are
not responsible.
Contentment is a lesson to be learned. Paul said, "I
have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be
content" (Phil. 4:11). He goes on to tell some of the
things he has learned. "I know both how to be abased,
and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I
am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to
abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me" (vss. 12-13). He had
learned a great secret. It was the secret of adapting
himself to conditions and being at rest in those
conditions. He could enjoy to the full the things that
afforded him enjoyment. He could suffer patiently the
things that came upon him to suffer. But whether rejoicing
or suffering, he had that inner contentment of spirit the
calmness and peace of which enriched his soul and made
quite tolerable a life that otherwise would have been
intolerable.
We, too, need to learn the lesson of contentment. The
command to Christians is, "Be content with such
things as ye have" (Heb. 13: 5). Speaking further
upon this subject Paul says, "Godliness with
contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into
this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out; and
having food and raiment let us be therewith content."
A godly life is productive of contentment, but there are
many Christians who at least in some respects are
discontented. This discontent produces a constant urge to
rebel against things.
It is a singular fact that many of the most contented
people are those who live in poverty. In fact, the working
people are the most contented of all people. I do not
refer to that class of working people who are constantly
being disturbed by the agitations of would be labor
leaders who are ever telling them of the evils of their
condition. Justice to all there should be, but the useless
breeding of discontent is a curse to those who are
affected by it. Those who live on the common levels of
life are the truly happy provided they have the attitude
of contentment.
There are many things people desire which can never give
them contentment. One man says, "If I had a million
dollars I could be contented." Another thinks if he
had political preferment that would satisfy his ambition
and he would be content. Another has another thing to
attain to make him content. These things when attained do
not bring contentment. As already pointed out contentment
is a lesson learned, a state of the heart, an attitude
toward things. Riches do not bring contentment. Andrew
Carnegie, known to all for his wealth and a man who should
have known what he was talking about, said, "Beyond a
competence for old age, and that may not be great and may
be very small, wealth lessens rather than increases human
happiness. Millionaires who laugh are rare." Many of
us would do well to pause here and carefully study this
saying of a wise and prudent Scotchman.
Jesus told his disciples not to be anxious about food and
raiment and such things and added, "After all these
things do the Gentiles seek" (Matt. 6: 82).
Possession is a goal set before them by the unsaved. The
question asked about a man often is, "How much money
does he have?" His supposed happiness is usually
rated by the size of his bank account. No greater error in
the choice of a standard for measurement of happiness
could be made. The command of the Scriptures is,
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness." We should put first things first. If
we do this our needs will be few and our desires not much
greater.
The basis of contentment is simplicity of desire. One of
the things that is ruining more happiness than anything
else is the desire to excel others. "We must keep up
with the Joneses," is an attitude of mind fatal to
contentment. It has caused more heartaches, destroyed more
happiness, ruined more homes, produced more divorces,
perhaps than any other one thing. This strife to excel
often leads people into sin. The wife would outstrip her
neighbors, so she makes large demands upon her husband for
money. Pressed thus he sometimes adopts business methods
that are highly improper. In many cases it has led to
shame and disgrace. In any event it leads to unhappiness
for both husband and wife and for the whole family.
Through envy, jealousy of others, and coveting what they
have, many people have been brought to bitterness of soul
and utterly to hate life. Better contentment in a cottage
than dis content in a mansion.
Very often prosperity in temporal things destroy.
happiness that has already existed in a less prosperous
condition. Years ago in one of our northern State a man
engaged in the lumbering business in a small way built a
cozy cottage on the shore of a bay into which he brought
his bride. They both worked, he in his sawmill and she in
her cottage, and were happy. The year' passed. He
prospered in business and became rich Then he built a fine
mansion in the city and moved into it. After living there
for some time and mingling with the society into which his
riches gave them entrance in speaking to a friend one day
he said, "We are no as happy as we were in our little
cottage on the bay.'
A few months ago I heard Chas. M. Schwab make a' address
over the radio. In that address he told of hi; big house
in New York City and of another great house which he owned
in the country. He said, "I don't own them. They own
me. The only satisfaction I have in them is that I have
enough money in the bank to pay the taxes on them."
He has to look to other source rather than to his
possession for contentment and happiness.
Contentment is not built of gold or of precious stones. It
is not constructed of honors or fame or th applause of the
multitude. It does not come from out shining others. These
may bring a sort of satisfaction but not a satisfaction
which is contentment. Content ment belongs to the meek and
lowly in spirit. Pride i destructive to it. Arrogance
annihilates it. Covetousness curses it. Hatred poisons it.
Malice thrusts a sword through it. Contentment can thrive
only with the virtues. Faith, hope, and charity abide with
it. Peace broods over its domicile. Blessed forevermore is
he who has a contented spirit.
So many nourish discontent. They are all the time looking
at the things they do not possess and coveting them. They
are always reaching out, stretching themselves to
something they cannot attain. They find fault with the
things they possess instead of enjoying them. They
minimize the good in things. They see all the faults and
failures. They often feel their rights are being
trespassed upon. There is a frown in their hearts and a
frown upon their faces.
Who is to blame for all this? The individual himself. He
has adopted a wrong attitude of mind and heart. He is
facing the wrong way. He has the wrong standard. He cannot
be happy. He needs to turn about, face the other way,
adopt a different attitude, look at things from a
different angle, set different standards for himself. He
needs to learn the secret of the simple life— simple
desires, temperate aspirations, bridled ambitions.
In the vale of contentment is calmness and sweetness of
spirit, rest of soul. Through it flow the peaceable waters
of quietness. In this vale the song birds joyfully sing.
The heart mounts up to God in praise. In it lies the
spring of joy which bubbles up in gladsome song.
The vale of contentment is not a place of inactivity. When
we have learned to be content with such things as we have
and in our situation in life and in our circumstances,
that does not mean that we lose all aspirations or that
all effort ceases. By no means. To be content with today
does not mean to be content with the same thing tomorrow.
The right sort of contentment d mends continual progress
in the lines in which progress is possible. In fact, we
cannot be contented not to make proper progress. In the
vale of contentment we are not to sit down idly dreaming
away our days. On the contrary there is a path that runs
through this vale an we are to walk in this path, ever
forward, ever upward.
If we would be truly happy, if we would sing the songs of
the joyous life, we must learn the lesson of contentment.
We must learn what desires to gratify and what desires to
repress. We must learn what thing can bring contentment
and what things destroy it. W must avoid the latter while
we seek the former. We must cultivate our spirits. We must
trust in God. The and only then shall we have that source
of contentment and happiness within that inspires us to
sing the song of glad rejoicing.
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