Further ponderings about contentment

'Tis a gift to be simple 'Tis a gift to be free '
Tis a gift to come down Where we ought to be

And when we find ourselves In that place just right
We will be in the valley Of Love and delight.

Did you ever stop to think that contentedness is a gift you give yourself?

I realized long ago that in our very humanness, we have a difficult time with becoming content. We tell ourselves we'll be happy...when...if...after...etc. But we know that is not true. After all, even Eve wasn't content in the Garden and she was surrounded with perfection. We get the job, or the house, or the car, or the baby, or the husband (or wife), or whatever we saw in the catalog or on the commercial ...and we're not happy.

When I started talking to people about lowering my expectations, you'd have thought I was saying I'd become an axe murderer or something. Especially living in the kind of community I do (although living in the country helps a little now). I'm a baby boomer and believe me, we were taught that we couldn't be just average, we had to excel at everything we did as well as "become all we're meant to be". I've had the dream job and the dream house and I admit, both were enjoyable. Neither brought contentment.

A few things happened along the way, especially as I entered middle age...bad stuff in the world's eyes...really bad stuff. I suppose I could have become bitter because this didn't measure up to my expectations (or my theology to tell you the truth). But God gave me a gift as a result of all of this, it's like He was saying since I went through a Job experience without cursing Him...He gave me the gift of contentment and simplicity. He allowed me to lower my expectations which brought me to the gift I gave myself...contentment in the small things of life.

When one can sit on the porch and smile at the sound of birds in the morning and be content...it is a gift. When one can put on an apron and be happy because there is food to be creative with, even if it is simple...it is a gift. When one can smile as they go to bed at night because all the family is home safe and sound, even if they're not certain if the gas and groceries will stretch until the next check arrives...it is a gift.

I truly believe contentment is a gift we give ourselves and by giving it to ourselves... we pass it on to our family. No one can give us contentment and we can't pass it on to another. For it comes up as a bubbling brook within us as our mind and heart together believes that God's Word is true.

He gives us no more than we can handle. He provides our every need. We are the apple of His eye.

This isn't Heaven and the streets aren't gold but we have coffee with cream, Earl Grey tea, chocolate, music, art, books, hugs, rocking chairs, comfy sofas, flannel sheets in cold weather, cotton sheets when it becomes warm, unexpected gifts from friends, trees, flowers, and gravel roads...a few of my favorite things.

Life is far from perfect but I've lowered my expectations and given myself the gift of contentment...by appreciating what is truly the best life has to offer.