So, what do you want for Christmas?
No doubt, you’ll be asked that more than a few times over the holiday season. Kids always have a ready answer. When I was little, I wanted all the latest Barbie doll stuff in the Sear’s catalog. In my teen years, it was record albums (the vinyl kind!). In my 20’s and 30’s, it was camping and hiking gear or a gift certificate to the local greenhouse.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting things. It’s easy to splurge in the festive mood of the season. Food. Entertaining. Decking the halls. But at what point do we begin to lose the true meaning of Christmas?
When a fellow blogger asked me to write a guest post on the subject of “contentment”, I immediately understood the connection to the holiday season. She asked that it be kind of an annual thing that resonates with readers who want to find some balance to the commercialization of Christmas.
But the joy of contentment is something I have been personally wrestling with as well, in the midst of life change and trying to get a fledgling art and garden blog off the ground. It’s so much easier to focus on what you don’t have, that it takes away the pleasure in what you do have. It also makes it harder to be genuinely happy for others in their accomplishments and success. Sitting at my computer desk in that place of deep reflection, I found I was writing to myself.
The Joy of Contentment
Look up any definition of contentment. It will more than likely contain a reference to “simple living”. But can lifestyle alone be the measure of contentment? Will it meet or even exceed my expectations? I live on the side of a mountain in a 520 square foot home. The tiny house movement is the latest lifestyle craze that’s supposed to bring happiness thru simple living. Although my motivation was affordable housing on a five acre lot I already owned.
In winter, it’s pitch dark out here. A full moon lights up the entire valley. Those are nights you can drive without headlights. Layers of snow mute the voice of a little stream that flows through the woods on the western edge of my property. When sunlight breaks through the fog on a cold day, the hoarfrost sparkles like glitter on a Christmas card.
It’s thrilling to hear the ‘hoo-hoo’ of a great horned owl perched on a cottonwood limb outside my window.
Peace, serenity, tranquility. This is it. This is nirvana, right? According to some, a minimalist lifestyle is one that shuns consumerism and all the baggage that comes with it. A tiny home reduces the carbon footprint. It uses less energy and is therefore better for the environment. There’s a part of me that really wants to believe that, and it might be nice were it true. The reality is, the “simple life” has its complications.
You see, the fuel oil I use to heat my tiny home is a petroleum product. Wood stoves have also come under scrutiny and now are subject to a lot of government regulation over particle emissions. It’s a forty mile round trip to get groceries which is not too bad in summer and not at all fun in a snowstorm.
I started a little crafting business and now what little space I have is cluttered with my art materials. I haven’t eaten at my kitchen table in 3 years. There’s much to complain about. So, clearly, it would seem that the joy of contentment is not found in the size or location of your house.
The Reward of Contentment
My adult Sunday school group is studying the book of Ecclesiastes which begins with the woeful cry: “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” (Ecc 1:2)
But is it, really?
Our group leader said he had read through the book 6-7 times over the past couple of weeks. One day he saw something he’d not seen before. One little verse that made him re-think the whole entire message of Ecclesiastes. Solomon writes:
“Here is what I have seen to be fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.” (Ecc 5:18)
Did you see it, too? It is fitting to eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of your labor. That’s your reward! In other words, all is not vanity! The message of Ecclesiastes–according to our group leader– is contentment through moderation. To be happy and grateful for what you have!
God intends for mankind to enjoy life. No guilty feelings allowed! It’s not wrong at all to enjoy delicious food, to celebrate and to have fun. Holidays included. There is joy in contentment. By contrast, the insanity of vanity is ‘striving after the wind’. When you cease to enjoy what you have. Whatever you have. That would be the wrong attitude.
If Solomon were living today he would say “been there, done that”. It’s kind of sad that he is figuring this out towards the end of his life.
Contentment is a learning process
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content”. To a young Timothy he writes “With food and clothing, let us be content”. (1 Tim 6:8)
This is how Paul learned. He writes “ I know how to get along with humble means. And I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry. Both of having abundance and suffering need.” (Phil 4:12 NASB)
I thought it was interesting that he said “I know how to live in prosperity”. You wouldn’t think that would be something of a challenge. Many of us could relate to the part about getting along with less. But he also says he’s experienced a comfortable life. And he learned to be content either way. I think what he’s really saying, in context here is this: it’s just as easy to be discontented in wealth as it is in poverty. Un-happiness is a tell-tale sign that we’ve lost contentment.
So, where does one find the power to live with the right attitude? Here’s Paul’s secret: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”.
In Conclusion
So this holiday season be thankful to God for all that He has given you. Eat, drink and enjoy yourself, but do it within your means. Don’t go overboard and you’ll have less stress, less fatigue, and less debt; all of which adds up to MORE peace and joy. Isn’t that what the holidays are all about? Remember, contentment is your reward!
As for the simple lifestyle, I think it’s pretty well summed up in this verse:
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee? But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” (Mic 6:8)
sincerely,
Kristen
About the Author
Kristen is a garden hobbyist, crafter and writer who makes her home in Palmer, Alaska. She has her own garden and art blog called Make it a Garden. And she loves to share her passion for nature and the God who created it. Blue Letter Bible is one of her favorite Bible study resources.
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