May 21, 2023
The Contented Heart
Charles Spurgeon told the story of a farmer with a weathervane on his barn. It was inscribed with the words: God is love.
A visitor asked him, “Does this mean that God is changeable like the wind?”
The farmer replied calmly: “No. It means that whichever way the wind blows, God is love.” That is a picture of contentment.
In her small, homely, cramped kitchen, my friend posted a sign which read: GOD IS ENOUGH.
But we are bombarded by the media with the opposite message:
Whatever you possess, it is not enough. (and leave God out of this!)
The first task of advertising is to make us discontent. There are bigger and better versions of our cars, clothes, and kitchens.
We forget that there are no U-Hauls behind hearses. We arrive in this world with nothing and leave the same way. And people on their deathbeds do not say, “I wish I had bought a better car, built a bigger house.”
Content is not just about possessions. It can also be about positions or status. These also will not give us joy. A gospel writer said about Jesus that He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) He gave us his position in heaven to model self-sacrificial love here for us.
A mentor of mine used to say: “This moment is perfect.” I often remind myself of this. Contentment is knowing that God has given me all that I need, including this precious moment of my life in Him.
