Contentment musings

 @ https://www.facebook.com/share/1Yab413KYs/?mibextid=xfxF2i

Contentment is an interesting concept. It'd seem like it requires having everything you want. Or somehow amputation from desire. In some cases we are called to do that, to "abstain from fleshly lusts"*, but who can fault someone for wanting a pain free life? Or wanting everything to work as advertised? There is, I think, a degree of discontent in everyone's life and there should be. But it should be submitted to God. Discontent should not be so pervasive that it causes one to point the finger at God. There's very well might be times when you're in so much pain that you end up wailing, rather loudly at that, but it should not cause you to rage against God. Doubt, perhaps. I think God understands that we have reasoning skills and that we rely on them for most things and are not 100% able to accept things that exceed our abilities to comprehend. That's largely why THE GOOD NEWS is called such. It's not new information. It's not even a new reality. It's just that God explains Himself more clearly in The Gospel. It's also the good news that, because of Jesus' sacrifice, people who submit to God, even if it's not a full blown submission, are able receive His spirit implanted in them, securing them a place in Heaven, where there is no pain or awkwardness, frustration etc.... Buy even when we don't understand and are prone to doubt, we should be willing to listen as well as speak. And if God is silent, we need to hold onto the hope of Heaven. Hope softens hearts, and makes people able to endure whatever He may bring.  

In short, I do believe Christian contentment is relative.

 *an observation my pastor made several months ago [which I think he may have forgotten about...] that completely escaped my notice is the emphasis on the -lusts- as opposed to the 'giving into' them.