Contentment and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. Individually and collectively, we will give thanks to God as well we should. There are certain words we associate with Thanksgiving. One is the word blessings. In churches we sing the song about counting our blessings and naming them one by one. The song declares that we will be surprised by what God has done.

Another word that we associate with Thanksgiving is the word gratitude. Our Thanksgiving is an expression of our gratitude. Lack of gratitude is the epitome of selfishness and self-centeredness. The ungrateful person has the attitude, "I earned this, or I deserve this." When I say, "I have received much more than I deserve," I am telling the truth. I suspect you are also.

In this blog I want to focus on another word that I believe we should associate with Thanksgiving. It is the word contentment. I'm not sure how often we connect contentment with Thanksgiving, but I believe there is a definite connection. I refer you to the Apostle Paul and a passage from his epistle to the Philippians. If you want to see the strong connection between contentment and Thanksgiving, read Philippians 4:10-19. In verse 11 Paul states "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." Have you arrived at this place in your life? I think it is a wonderful place to reside. In verse 12 Paul went on to say, "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." Paul could have this peace in all circumstances because he had learned to be content and trust God to supply His needs. In verse 19 Paul wrote, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Why is contentment so important in Thanksgiving? The person who is never contented lives is a perpetual state of need. No matter what or how much they have, they are focused on what they do not have. They always want more rather than being thankful for what they already have. As we celebrate Thanksgiving in America, we need to realize that we have far more of everything than does a huge part of the world's population. Even with our abundance, discontent will make us ungrateful people focused on our wants.

There is another reason why contentment is important in Thanksgiving. Contentment paves the way for us to use our surplus in life to share with others who may have unfulfilled needs. This is what happened to Paul in Philippians. When Paul did have need, the believers in Philippi were ready to use any surplus they had to help him. In verse 10 Paul wrote, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity." When opportunity presented itself, they were ready to use their surplus to help meet Paul's needs.

When discontented people have a surplus, their discontent motivates them to use their surplus to satisfy their own perceived wants and needs. Satisfying themselves is far more important than helping others. Thank God this was not the case in Philippians.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Happy "contented" Thanksgiving!