DO YOU HAVE THIS GIFT?

When somebody tells me they have a gift for me I get excited!! A gift to me means that somebody thought enough of me to give me something I didn’t have to work for. There are so many gifts people receive: Birthday gifts, Marriage gifts, Retirement Gifts, etc.  When we were dating my wife gave me a “Just Because” gift! How awesome!

There is a gift that causes blessings to flow to anyone who possesses it.  If you have this gift, it will lead to your heart’s every desire.  The happiest people you will ever meet have this gift in abundance.  If you can acquire this gift it may very well be the most power financial gift you can have.  The gift I am talking about is the gift of CONTENTMENT.

Contentment is being satisfied with what you have.  I know this goes against the grain in our society because we are always looking for the bigger and better. Our culture believes you should get all you can and can all you get.  Now I am not against anyone having nice things, but we must remember things do not define who we are.

One thing I have found out about being content is that it allows you to dream, have a vision, and gain a deep sense of perspective. To be content is to have a pursuit and a peace in the pursuit that even if God says “no” or “not right now” I’m ok. 

I would like to point out that there is a difference between contentment and complacency.  Complacency is when you are satisfied with yourself.  It is not striving for a dream because of fear.  Complacency is waiting for life to change but having no real expectation that it will.  It’s living life with no greater purpose beyond what we can see today.  A complacent person does not strive to do better. 

Contentment takes courage and strength.  It comes from values and values have to be learned.  The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:11 states, “I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances”.  Society teaches us that things will make us happy.  As a result we fall into the “I’ll be Happy When” syndrome.  We tend to says things like:

“I’ll be happy when I’m in high school.”

“I’ll be happy when I’m in college.”

“I’ll be happy when I get a new car.”

“I’ll be happy when I can pay off this car.”

“I’ll be happy when I get my first job.”

“I’ll be happy when I retire from my job!”

Happiness is like the bully on the schoolyard.  He draws a line in the sand and dares you to cross it.  When you cross it he draws another line in the sand and dares you to cross that!  If you don’t find happiness where you are…you will never find it.

Even with money, money cannot buy happiness.  It can buy fun but it cannot buy happiness.  We must be careful to not mistake fun for happiness.  A man’s life does not consist in the things he has, it consists in the character he has.

We cannot always control our situations and circumstances.  Contentment is one’s ability to cope with and deal with situations and circumstances.  Life happens…but we can decide on our attitudes and responses and being content helps us with that.

Contentment comes when we learn to slow down and count life’s simple pleasures.  It comes when we develop an attitude of gratitude for the important things we do have in our lives….things we tend to take for granted.

So as we receive various gifts throughout the year, let’s make sure we are not forgetting about the gift of CONTENTMENT.