{"id":4229,"date":"2019-11-08T22:42:08","date_gmt":"2019-11-09T07:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/makeitagarden.com\/?p=4229"},"modified":"2022-01-04T22:19:42","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T07:19:42","slug":"happy-holidays-the-peace-joy-of-contentment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/makeitagarden.com\/happy-holidays-the-peace-joy-of-contentment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Peace & Joy of Contentment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Plate<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So, what do you want for Christmas? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s nothing wrong with wanting<\/em> 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? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Joy of Contentment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Look up any definition of contentment.\u00a0 It will more than likely contain a reference to \u201csimple living\u201d.\u00a0 But can lifestyle alone be the measure of contentment?\u00a0 Will it meet or even exceed my expectations?\u00a0 \u00a0I live on the side of a mountain in a 520 square foot home.\u00a0 The tiny house movement is the latest lifestyle craze that\u2019s supposed to bring happiness thru simple living. Although my motivation was affordable housing on a five acre lot I already owned. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Pioneer Peak, Alaska<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In winter, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s thrilling to hear the \u2018hoo-hoo\u2019 of a great horned owl perched on a cottonwood limb outside my window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s a part of me that really wants to believe that, and it might be nice were it true.  The reality is, the \u201csimple life\u201d has its complications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s a forty mile round trip to get groceries which is not too bad in summer and not at all fun in a snowstorm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started a little crafting business and now what little space I have is cluttered with my art materials.  I haven\u2019t eaten at my kitchen table in 3 years.  There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Downy
Downy Woodpecker feasts at my bird feeder<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Reward of Contentment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My adult Sunday school group is studying the book of Ecclesiastes which begins with the woeful cry: \u201cVanity, vanity, all is vanity.\u201d  (Ecc 1:2) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is it, really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019d not seen before. One little verse that made him re-think the whole entire message of Ecclesiastes.  Solomon writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cHere is what I have seen to be fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/em>  (Ecc 5:18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you see it, too?  It is fitting to eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of your labor.  That\u2019s your reward!  In other words, all is not<\/em> vanity! The message of Ecclesiastes–according to our group leader– is contentment through moderation.  To be happy and grateful for what you have!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God intends for mankind to enjoy life. No guilty feelings allowed! It\u2019s 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 \u2018striving after the wind\u2019.  When you cease to enjoy what you have.  Whatever you have. That would be the wrong attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Solomon were living today he would say \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d.  It\u2019s kind of sad that he is figuring this out towards the end of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contentment is a learning process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:11 \u201cNot that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned<\/em> in whatever state I am to be content\u201d.<\/strong>  To a young Timothy he writes \u201cWith food and clothing, let us be content\u201d. (1 Tim 6:8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how Paul learned.  He writes \u201c 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.\u201d<\/em>  (Phil 4:12 NASB)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought it was interesting that he said \u201cI know how to live in prosperity\u201d.  You wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019s experienced a comfortable life.  And he learned to be content either way. I think what he\u2019s really saying, in context here is this: it\u2019s just as easy to be discontented in wealth as it is in poverty.  Un-happiness is a tell-tale sign that we\u2019ve lost contentment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, where does one find the power to live with the right attitude? Here\u2019s Paul\u2019s secret: \u201cI can do all things through Him who strengthens me\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"bottle<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t go overboard and you\u2019ll have less stress, less fatigue, and less debt; all of which adds up to MORE peace and joy.  Isn\u2019t that what the holidays are all about?  Remember, contentment is your reward!   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the simple lifestyle, I think it\u2019s pretty well summed up in this verse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/em>  (Mic 6:8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> is one of her favorite Bible study resources.                                                           <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple Holiday Crafts to Make<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Golf Ball Tree Ornament<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pallet Snowman Decor <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pretty Tea cup Bird Feeder<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/table>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tone down the commercialism of Christmas and have a more balanced celebration; discover what true Joy and Contentment means.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[925,908],"tags":[404,407,401,403,406,409,402,405,408],"class_list":["post-4229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-food-for-thought","category-writers-nook","tag-christmas-contentment","tag-christmas-spiritual","tag-contentment","tag-holiday-contentment","tag-holiday-sentiments","tag-holiday-spiritual","tag-joy","tag-peace-at-christmas","tag-spiritual-contentment"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Peace & Joy of Contentment | Make it a Garden<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does it really mean to be content? 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