The Nature of Being Content

Before you start practicing thankfulness, it’s important to know that it’s not something that just happens. We don’t always just wake up and feel thankful no matter what’s going on in our lives. It’s something we work toward—it grows as we spiritually mature in our relationship with God.

For instance, when I first began to get serious with God and read His Word, I was one of the most negative, critical and pessimistic people I knew. I definitely wasn’t approaching life with a grateful heart! But here’s the good news: Despite where we begin, we can cultivate a culture of gratitude in our lives.

In the early stages of our relationship with Jesus, we may not be aware of all the amazing ways He helps and blesses us on a regular basis; we may be more inclined to notice what we don’t like about our lives and want God to fix. However, the more time we spend with God—talking to Him throughout the day and studying His Word—the more He helps us to see our lives from a different perspective. With God’s help, we can learn to be thankful and content, regardless of our circumstances.

To be content means to be satisfied to the point where you are not upset or disturbed. God wants us to trust Him and believe that He will always give us what we need at the right time. And He gives us more when we are able to handle it and still keep Him first in our lives.

Satan, on the other hand, delights in trying to make us discontent. He knows that if he succeeds, he will keep us from being thankful. Being thankful gives us power, and the enemy wants to keep us weak. He attempts to blind us to what we have to be thankful for, and he tempts us to always want something else that we think will make us happy.

In Philippians Chapter 4, the apostle Paul says that he learned how to be content in every circumstance—when things were good and when things were not so good. He knew the power of remaining grateful at all times. And he knew that God has the ability to turn any situation around for the good if we continue to trust Him and keep a good attitude.

So, starting today, I encourage you to ask God for what you want and need, and then trust His timing to be perfect in your life. Choose to be content and grateful right now, even while you are waiting for things to change. It’s only then that you can truly be grateful for what He gives you.

_{Adapted from the book The Power of Thank You by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2022 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.}