The Secret of Contentment

My wife and I drove a little over an hour to attend a festival where it was promised to have some tasty Portuguese food. When we arrived, I stood behind a family purchasing food tickets. A woman couldn't decide what she wanted and wavered on the drink selection. I complained aloud to my wife of their slowness to make up their minds.

From the menu board, I selected the stew recalling while living in Bristol, Rhode Island of a Portuguese woman who made some spicy Portuguese stew. I imagined the chorizos in a light broth with collard greens and potatoes. To my shock a man handed me a paper plate with rice and somewhat mashed fava beans and pork bones with rubbery skin coating it. I found a seat grumbling at the appearance and taste. We decided to go to a church up the street that had a sign inviting anyone to dinner.

We entered the old church where we took a couple of cold drinks and made our way to one of the crowded tables. There was a rich cross section of various races but many of the faces seemed to have a similar story of poverty and struggles of various kinds. After we were served, the woman across the table started to complain. The fish was too salty. The food was cold. She pushed the plate away letting everyone in ear shot know she was not going to eat it.

I found myself quietly prayed asking God to forgive me about a long standing sin of complaining. I thought it was within my right to complain about the food I purchased with my money when it was disappointing. Here the food was completely free. There was no conditions or stings attached but this woman was grumbling, dissatisfied and left hungry.

Paul writes, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12, NIV).

What is the secret of contentment? Simply, God is in control and He is attentive to our needs even before we ask Him. Knowing this, verse 13 sums it by saying, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (NIV). The secret of contentment is His strength to be satisfied whatever you experience understanding God is in control.