Content

Have you been to Walmart lately? It looks like the North Pole has landed. And it’s still October. I love Christmas, so I am happy to turn on the Pandora Christmas channel and begin planning for the holidays in September… BUT, as soon as the merchandise hits the floor the kids begin to create the list of things that they can’t possibly live without. Am I right? I was no different as a child. I remember the arrival of the Sears & Robuck’s Christmas catalog and sitting down and finding toys I never knew existed and suddenly I wanted them in my room. Really, really bad!

Let’s be honest, friends. It isn’t just the kids who see something and get filled with desire to bring it home. Most people want something they don’t have. At some point or another, we all struggle to be content with what we have. It isn’t just a modern day phenomenon. It is a human condition that has plagued humanity from the first people who inhabited the earth. There is a spirit of discontent that permeates our being.

Contentment cultivated in us brings a harvest of deep joy. But it is something that must be learned. It doesn’t come naturally. And we must teach it to our kids. Without it, we become overwhelmed with desire for more and more and that brings the worst sort of unhappiness, which will grow into nothing short of misery if left unchecked.

So, how do you teach contentment to a child? Let’s take a lesson from the wisdom we find in a letter that Paul wrote to Timothy in the first century A.D.

⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain.

 ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

 ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Food and clothing. Nothing more. Is it possible to be content with that? I loved providing more than that for my children and I’m sure you do, too. But, how much is too much? Most kids have more than they can manage. Take a look at their bedroom and you will understand what I am saying. Paul says we arrived here with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Doesn’t that make us stewards or managers of what is only temporarily ours? When we overload our homes, our closets, our cupboards, our toy boxes, etc. with so much we end up with nothing be a whole lot to manage. And with so much to take care of, we spend more time trying to make order of it all than we do enjoying it. Try minimizing and see just how liberating it can be.

You are no different than anyone else who is a good parent. You desire good things for your kids. Me too. Paul calls it “great gain.” Perhaps the best thing you can give your kids is the great gain that comes from teaching them to be content. And teach them by example. Be content. And here are a couple of tips on how to do that…

1.      1. Kill the comparisons. You are the only you in this world and you were created to be uniquely you. You don’t have to have what someone else has. You don’t have to make what they make or live how they live or drive what they drive or like what they like or wear what they wear. Just be you. Simply you. And allow others to be themselves without passing judgment. James, the brother of Jesus, states that “wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” Disorder and evil are not something you and I want for our kids or grandkids so don’t cultivate it by allowing them to “but ALL my friends have it” game. They will lose every time and be miserable. Show them what they have and don’t be afraid to remind them how the children in other places live.

2.      2.  Cultivate Gratitude. King Solomon, in his wisdom, states “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”  Gratitude for what you have always seems to make what you have enough. Teach your kids how to express gratitude and make sure that the kids see your joy when they are grateful.

3.     3.   Don’t be afraid to say NO. If saying no to your child creates an outburst. GOOD! Because that means that you are on the right track. If they come apart when you say NO then you need to teach them how to be content with what they have. A melt-down means it’s time to take control and stop allowing your children to control you with their tantrums. On the other hand, if you saying NO doesn’t create an outburst, you may have already succeeded in teaching them contentment. Good Job!

Be an example of the godliness with contentment that Paul is talking about. Walking hand in hand with Jesus, being grateful to Him for all He provides is the beginning of that practice. When you make it a lifestyle for yourself and experience the joy that comes from contentment, you will find that you have a wonderful, contagious, joyful disease that may quickly spread to your kids.