LEARNING TO BE CONTENT

Nearly half the world’s population live on $2.50 per day or less. The World Bank classifies them as living in poverty. At the same time some of these people live contented lives.  Our society is largely one of excess upon excess. In a magazine article Jane Hammerslough tells how her family moved into a sparsely furnished rental house while their home was being renovated. Instead of missing what they’d left behind, surprisingly, they were liberated! Upon returning home they were overwhelmed by the utter excess of stuff, and gave much of it away. She concludes ‘When enough’s always just a little more … you don’t have room for the truly great things in life’. The message isn’t new; Solomon said ‘The abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep’.

But freedom from anxiety is more than just uncluttered closets. It’s a firm conviction that what you do have is a gift from God, and that it’s meant to be shared with others. Contentment simply frees you to enjoy what He’s provided. So with that in mind keep the following principles before you: buy things for their usefulness, not their status. Beware of anything that produces an addiction in you. Make a habit of giving things away. Learn to enjoy things without having to own them, or be owned by them. 

Peter Morphew
Chaplain