Contentment

Someone once asked, "How did you become so confident in yourself?". Was it the college degree? Could it be financial stability? Maybe, my upbringing? Surely it didn't come from my appearance! NO. Although success, money, stability, and great looks seem to bring people happiness, true happiness is only achieved in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I know that statement seems cliche, but let me explain further.
John Bunyan once wrote,

If we have not quiet in our minds,
outward comfort will do no more for us
than a golden slipper on a gouty foot."

You see, what's inside is what grates at our hearts. The ailments in our minds create the pain and suffering. Though appearances can deceive, the heart eventually reveals itself.
I get very frustrated with the sadness in the lives of so many. If only they could understand that without knowing the ending of the story... their place in the book... the theme and purpose of each action along the way... the road they are traveling can be confusing, unsatisfying, filled with potholes and thorns. God has set in place a voyage for us to embark upon and to enjoy. It may have potholes and thorns underfoot, but we are able to look up, to the deep blue sky, the flight of a hawk, the leaves fluttering in the trees. We can look past the twisted vines and find the soft red petals of a rose, or the beauty in a simple holly berry. We bask in the sweet smell of the rainfall or the warm embrace of the afternoon sunset. If we understand the meaning of life, the reason we are all here, our purpose... we can walk the journey in joy and contentment - which appears to the world, as confidence.
We are not just an evolved form of monkey. We are not wandering shadows waiting for burial. We are not here to find ourselves or to fulfill our every whim. We are created beings of the Most High. His personal handiwork. His product. He has made us and like a potter who displays his creation high on a shelf for others to admire, he declared "It is good.". Rejoice, for your Creator LOVES you. He treasures you. We are His. We belong. You are valuable. You have purpose and meaning. We can rest our weary souls from the desperate clawing at the earth searching for something... anything... that can explain this day to day travail.
Knowing that I am His, I can rest each day in His loving , comforting arms assured that I am taken care of. I am content. Whatever my circumstances, I will be with Him. I look forward to the day I am in His presence. I long for the day when we are reunited in His heavenly kingdom. He is my guide. My protector. My love. My purpose. My chief end.
He has written the book. I am but a part of that story... yet, He masterfully cares for each moment of my life. With each thought, each care, each worry, each elation... He is intimately involved. How can I not rest in that knowledge? If only I could express my words eloquently, I could share with those who search. They, like Solomon... keep chasing after the wind. Looking for contentment in money, success, family, perfection, home, appearance, ... they come up time after time with that same nagging hole in their heart. It is a nauseating emptiness. A gnawing agony that brings about sadness, depression, drunkenness, divorce, and always regret. Nothing can fill the void, but the overflowing gift of God's grace. As a character in his story, I have meaning. I am important. I do not have to search for status. I do not need to prove to others my value. I only sit at His feet and reflect on the big plan... His redemption of His people. Knowing that He is my God and I am His. Whatever I look like, whatever status I gain, whatever faults I have, whatever my 'much loved and lived in' home reflects, .... it is all in His hands. I do not have to search about aimlessly. My purpose is in Him. I can release the ropes that hold me to the dreams and aspirations that others have for me. I can freely let go of the chains that others place on me for their approval. I only need to please Him. What bigger plan could I possibly want to partake of? I am part of His eternal and unchangeable perfect story. And, I can rejoice in all circumstances and be content in each day....... because..... I know the ending :)

"The only person in this world who enjoys complete contentment is the person who knows that the only worthwhile and satisfying life is to be a means, however humble, to God's chief end - his own glory and praise." J. I. Packer

Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
"A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise."

Psalm 34:7 "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"

Psalm 34: "O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together."