Cultivating Contentment in a World of Stuff

I once read of a missionary family in difficult circumstances and with limited finances. Worry, discouragement and unhappiness followed their footsteps. Until one day when their young son prayed over lunch.

“Thank you Lord,” he prayed, “for everything we have. Thank you for our family, for our house, for our clothes, for this good food. And for our beds, and the table and chairs, and the dishes and the glasses…”

His parents, sure he was being flippant, were about to stop him. Until they realized that he was praying from an overflowing heart of gratitude. That simple encouraging prayer reminded the parents of how much they had. And restored their contentment, trust, and gratitude.

Contentment is elusive

Contentment is defined as happiness with your situation in life. Such a simple thing, and yet so difficult to hold on to. And since most of us here in the developed world have all our real needs met – and often more – we should ooze contentment.

But often, I don’t. And I found the root of my problem in the following quote by AW Tozer. What it really boiled down to was a lack of contentment.

The problem is that contentment is not automatic. We covet things and have an innate desire to own things. True contentment takes cultivating, and we often lack the proper tools.

There is within the human heart a tough fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covets “things” with a deep and fierce passion.

AW Tozer, The Pursuit of God

The pronouns `my’ and `mine’ look innocent enough in print,” continues Tozer, “but their constant and universal use is significant. They express the real nature of the old Adamic man better than a thousand volumes of theology could do. They are verbal symptoms of our deep disease. The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution.”

But with God’s help we can pull those roots out and learn to cultivate deep abiding contentment. So let’s uncover a few basic tools for doing that!

6 basic contentment tools:

1. Count your blessings.

This seems trite because we’ve heard it so often. But counting our blessings can stop us from wanting more — by helping us realize how much we already have! After all, many of us have so much stuff we can’t keep up with it or even keep track of it all!

2. Don’t take things for granted.

Like that discouraged family, we often take much for granted. Our soft bed, bulging closets, our ticking heart, even the air we breathe. Oftentimes we assume they will be there and fail to see them as wonderful provisions.

3. Rearrange core values.

Contentment is a challenge in a world of constant hype. But with healthy values in place we begin to see that everything involves a trade-off of some kind. Shopping requires longer working hours. An increase in stuff necessitates more cleaning and care. Added activities lead to less rest and sleep. More time spent on technology means less time with loved ones. And so on. More and better things does not necessarily bring a better quality of life.

4. Understand that ‘enough’ really is enough.

It’s a constant battle against all the advertising and sales. Vendors make stuff seem so alluring, valuable, and necessary. But if our homes, closets, and cupboards are already stuffed with too much, why buy more? Wanting to have all we need to live a decent life of dignity and purpose is healthy and normal. But when our happiness hinges on more and more, it could indicate that our priorities are off kilter.

5. Pursue generosity.

I believe that Christ teaches generosity, not only because it’s the right thing to do and helps others. But also because it liberates our hearts. The things we allow into our lives have captured our hearts to some degree. Letting them go or keeping them in their rightful place frees our hearts to soar toward better and higher things.

6. Seek right priorities.

We need things in this life and always will, but they cannot bring true or lasting happiness. Otherwise, millionaires and business moguls would be the happiest of all people. Yet, sadly, that’s not always the case. So strive instead toward a life of purpose, and of making a contribution, no matter how small.

Stuff can never bring true, lasting contentment. We have been created in God’s image, and earthly things will never fully satisfy.

The things we allow into our lives have captured our hearts to some degree. Letting them go or keeping them in their rightful place frees our hearts to soar toward better and higher things.

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Watering can by Watering can & Flower vase by Jill Wellington |Flowers on graphic by Kien Do.