3.Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5 v 5 KJV
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. The Message
“Blessed (inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect) are the gentle, the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled, for they will inherit the earth. AMP
Contentment is a beautiful word. I am told that the word contentment comes from the Latin word contentus which means ‘held together’ or ‘intact, whole’. Contentment is a sense of being complete, of wholeness, accepting who you are, what you have and your situation. The ability to be satisfied despite circumstances.
In our western society we pursue goals, happiness, our desires, ambitions, financial gain, control, validation, success, and stuff. We look for external sources of happiness. We compare ourselves with others and with who they are and what they have. But perhaps contentment is about appreciation, the reality of the present and satisfaction.
A group of isolated nomads, high in the Himalayas of Eastern Bhutan, were shown images of various emotions and asked for their own words to describe each emotion. When asked for the word that described contentment one of them said “It’s hard to translate it exactly, but the closest word is chokkshay, which is a very deep and spiritual word that means ‘the knowledge of enough.’ It was the idea that right here, right now, everything is just right as it is, regardless of what you are experiencing outside.” Daniel Cordaro Research Anthropologist.
I need to know that ‘I am enough’. I am who I am, and I will not compare myself with someone else. How whole do you feel inside? Of course, it is always possible to change and to grow as an individual. ‘My situation is enough’. It may not be ideal, it may be challenging, it may be painful, but I can have an attitude of gratitude for the bits that are good. I can accept the reality of the present without kicking against it. I can be intentional about accepting my situation and choose to be content, while making any adjustments that are possible.
I want to be in this ‘enough’ place- held together, intact, whole, and content. If I can reach for this then I may become a gentler person, sweet spirited, self-controlled, kind, gracious, not brash or boasting, and my life will have a positive influence on others. If I can be at peace with myself and willing to wait and let God take control of my life and my circumstances, then I will have more of the meekness and contentment that He wants for me.
I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be. I know now how to live when things are difficult, and I know how to live when things are prosperous. In general, and in particular, I have learned the secret of facing either poverty or plenty. I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me. Paul Philippians 4
