Contentment

I am writing today on a luxurious cruise ship sailing down the Rhine River feeling decidedly wealthy, among 170 other passengers who would fit the same category. The truth is, most on board are pretty average working people who have 3 things in common; they have worked hard, saved their money and stayed married, over the long haul.

In today’s materialistic world, the temptation to get-rich-quick and enjoy wealth NOW is greater than ever. Modern advertising and retailing is masterful in making us continually hungry, dissatisfied and discontent. They want us to always want more.

The trouble with wanting more is that it is NEVER satisfied. “You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.”    Charles Spurgeon

Which brings me to where I should have started, and that is to define wealth.
Yes, it can mean ‘much money’, but it can also mean ‘an abundance of something’.

Is the millionaire whose wife just walked out more wealthy than the 70 yr old pensioner with ‘his girl’ still on his arm?
Is the tycoon with an estranged son more wealthy than a young Dad whose 5 yr old leaves a love note on his pillow?

It seems to me that the person, of any age, who can say “I am content” is the wealthiest of all. To break the power of ‘wanting more’ from forever distracting you from ‘enjoying today’ is to be wealthy indeed.

I can be on the Rhine or in my garden, and I am content.
I can be listening to a Strauss waltz in Vienna or a blackbird’s song from my clothesline, and I am content.

My contentment is not defined by my bank account, the number of clothes in my closet, the labels on their collars or my peers‘ opinions. It is not dependent on the dollar, the stock exchange, real estate values, the government, a politician’s budget or my wage compared to your wage.

My contentment is a choice of my heart and the result of having a ‘right mind’. If I first pursue the kingdom of God and Godly wisdom, everything else falls into place.  (Matthew 6:25-34)

Contentment is the beginning of wealth, as it makes you the master not the slave, the possessor not the possessed, the wise not the foolish.