The Secret of Contentment

The Secret of Contentment

            ^{But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.}

^{1 Timothy 6:6-7 NIV}

         ^{Forgive me for sounding like an old man with this statement, but have you noticed that the one word that characterizes our world today is . . . entitled. A person with an entitlement mentality has a narcissistic personality. He or she feels that they deserve special treatment or is owed a favor when they’ve done little or nothing to earn it. People with an entitlement mentality often interpret constructive feedback as a personal attack. Entitled people believe they can do no wrong and therefore they’ll often do things outside the bounds of the law. People who have an entitlement mentality are often hypersensitive to suggestions that their work could use improvement. They feel they’ve “arrived.” Entitled people think they should have everything they want, often without doing anything for it.}

^{The opposite of entitlement is contentment. At age 14, Andrea Jaeger won her first professional tennis tournament. At 18, she reached the finals of Wimbledon. At 19, a bad shoulder all but ended her career. Any other world-class athlete might have become bitter or discontented with life at that point. Andrea, however, pointed her competitive spirit in another direction. She created a nonprofit organization called Kids’s Stuff Foundation that tries to bring joy to children who are suffering from cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Her work there has also inspired her to take on-line classes in nursing and child psychology.}

         ^{Andrea Jaeger not only created the program, but runs it full-time, year-round, without any compensation. “I’m inspired by these brave kids, and humbled,” she says. “They lose their health, their friends, and sometimes their lives. And yet their spirit never wavers. They look at life as a gift. The rest of us sometimes look at ourselves as a gift to life. You get very spoiled on the professional tennis tour,” she added with a twinkle in her eye. “The courtesy cars, the five-star hotels, the thousands of people clapping for you when you hit a good shot. It’s easy to forget what’s important in life . . . serving kids with cancer causes me to forget that a lot less.”}

^

         ^{How is it with you? Soon we’ll stop hearing about all the superior qualities of the two presidential candidates and life will return to some kind of normalcy. Where do you see yourself in the grand scheme of things? What are you entitled to? Do you think the rest of the world exists for your pleasure? Do you believe you should have everything you want without investing blood, sweat and tears to achieve it? Maybe it’s time for you to reflect on the meaning of life and your role in this world. Let’s not forget that even our next breath is a gift from God. Be content with what you have and grateful that you have it..}

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this message with anyone you choose. And if you'd like to receive PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send an email to (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.