by Pat Nordman

There   are several verses in the Bible that encourage us to be content with our lives: "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am" (Philippians 4:11b); "And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content" (1 Timothy 6:8); ". . .Be content with your pay" Luke 3:14c.

    Whittier said that contentment is "The harvest song of inward peace." Then let us sing His praises for all He has given us, quit worrying about what we don't have, and enjoy that inner peace that seems to elude those grasping for more and more of the world's goods.

    "If we wished to gain contentment, we might try such rules as these:

1) Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even the weather;

2) Never picture thyself to thyself under any circum-stances in which thou art not;

3) Never compare thine own lot with that of another;

4) Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou dost thyself;

5) Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. `The Lord will provide.'" - E.B. Pusey.

    "A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord" Proverbs 19:3. What we do to ourselves hurts God as much as it hurts us. In fretting against Him, we affront Him and His justice and goodness, along with losing peace of mind and possibly causing others to lose their peace.