Contentment

Matthew 5:3-6: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Years ago Tami and I had the blessed opportunity to go with our church to deliver Christmas gifts of clothing, food and toys to a very poor sister church and its community on the other side of the border in Mexico. We were treated to a wonderful church service with a worship band using what they had to sing and play with, broken instruments, and torn music pages. 

We met people who had nothing much more than the clothes on their backs and the stitched-together homes they lived in. Heat was provided by makeshift stoves, air-conditioning a luxury they did not have. Water was, in many cases, drawn from a community spigot. Children were begging in the streets to help their households. 

With my limited Spanish I had the pleasure of speaking with and getting to know some of the community members. Those folks spoke of community needs but it wasn’t food or money they spoke of. It was Christ, and love and community and companionship. It was the need for togetherness. They didn’t just speak of it; they demonstrated it! 

What I have found when among the truly poor Christian, is that he or she has a different sense of happiness and contentment. The truly poor Christian has a deeper sense of fulfilment. Not a shallow one filled with material things, but a deep one filled with the joys that only simplicity and closeness to Jesus can bring!

For comparison, what I have noted with respect to who we would consider poor here in the US is that these folks still have, and “deserve” smartphones, video games and other “necessities.” We live in a society that is increasingly more entitled with each generation. And the poor, ever-dependent on “things,” are often miserable. 

But when one sees the truly poor, they are dependent on relationships, love and Christ. Spend any amount of time with them and you will see what true happiness is. What is their secret? PERSPECTIVE. Their happiness is not wrapped up in what they can acquire. Their happiness is not dependent upon physical comfort. Their happiness is not dependent upon having what others have or competing with others. 

I believe this is why Christ says we are blessed in the beatitudes. We are blessed when we are able to be content in ANY situation, rich or poor, secure or persecuted. When we put our faith in Almighty God rather than the almighty dollar, nothing can staunch happiness!

No matter your circumstances, keep your perspective. My mother has memories of Christmas’s with just a tree cur from outside. Gifts were darned and patched clothing, and many times they went to bed crying from empty stomachs. I would imagine one of the hardest things for a parent to endure would be the crying of children from poverty-induced hunger. Yet my mother does not remember sadness as much as happiness and contentment. Sad times? Certainly. But a knowledge, trust and faith in God that surpassed any sadness, definitely!

so to reiterate, to be truly happy, keep your perspective!