Wellbeing: An Invitation to a Flourishing LifeSample

Cultivating Contentment

Contentment and money are like oil and water. Peruse any current news website, and you will read of people with more money than you could dream of still pursuing more, you’ll read of people being encouraged to change jobs because they can get more money, and you’ll read of businesses putting up their prices to extract that little bit more profit. The word “enough” doesn’t seem to have a place in our culture.

In the New Testament, Paul tells Timothy that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (emphasis on love). Do you remember the feeling of getting your first significant paycheck? Do you remember the feeling of finding out how much money you were paying in taxes or your student loan? Earning money is a rush, and losing money hurts. If we’re not careful, this love of money and all it brings can take control of our lives.

A great example is how our saving goals seem to be so adjustable. We might reach our initial goal, but then we get that promotion, and suddenly we realise how much more we could get. Rather than cultivating generosity, we add a couple of bedrooms to our future house.

Returning to a few verses we read in 1 Timothy chapter 6, “True religion with contentment is great wealth. After all, we did not bring anything with us when we came into the world and we certainly can’t carry anything with us when we die. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that.”

The richest person is not the one who has the most; it is the one who is most content with what they have. The truth is most of us who have a steady income in this modern world have enough. If you’re rich enough to have the device required to read this, you probably have enough to be content.

Thought Point: Are you content with what you have?

Prayer Point: Ask God to help you be content with all the blessings He has bestowed on you and not long for more and better things.