Be Content

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All week, it seems, there have been segments on the news about smart shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Create a budget and stick to it.  Study the ads and make comparisons.  Beware of the doorbusters.  Don’t forget your loyalty card.  The tips keep coming. I even learned that there are apps and websites that track prices to help subscribers know they are getting the best price.  Somewhere online I even saw Oprah’s Official list of Favorite Things!  Unbelievable!  I don’t think I’ve bought that many gifts this whole year.  As I watched the news and the ads, I wondered if that many people receive a Christmas bonus!  Later I saw a news story about American debt on the rise, so I guess not.  I am not moved by the ads, won’t be shopping on Friday, and don’t think of shopping as the reason for the season.

If I ask my 14 year-old or 11 year-old what they want for Christmas, they are guaranteed to have a response.  They have everything they need and mostly everything they want, but they will always have a response. I don’t need anything and don’t want anything.  I am content. Grateful. Also in the news this week, we’ve seen and may even know of those directly impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles, California.  I saw an elderly lady interviewed about losing her home in Hurricane Michael. Since the storm she has lived at a shelter, in her car, and in a tent. These are just the most recent examples of major loss.  And these are just examples from the USA. How dare I want for a bigger TV, a set of copper lined cookware, or some diamond-studded earrings?

The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  This verse says “need.” I am not sure to what extent, we are promised that He will supply our wants.  Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  This verse may address our wants, but I still think it is wise to be content and keep our wants in check.

A few scriptures about contentment to keep in mind as Black Friday approaches:

~Philippians 4:12-13
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

~Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.
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~1 Timothy 6:6-7
But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.


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Thank you for reading!
Happy Thanksgiving!
​Kim

Copyright 2018, Kimberly Griffith Anderson, Author