15th September, 2019
CONTENTMENT
David Abankwah
READ: 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Keep your life free from love off money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
-Hebrews 13:5 | ESV
A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.” He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied, “I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.” The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colours.”
The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.” The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo.
I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.” That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad. We don’t value what God has given us. This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. Learn to be happy for what you have instead of looking at what you don’t have. There will always be someone who will have more or less than what you have.
Moses was content to stay with Jethro – the Priest of Midian (Exodus 2:21) and because of that, the Lord picked him to be the leader of Israel. The Levite – the stranger stayed with Micah – the idolater in contentment, without having losing his faith. Contentment is part of Christianity (1 Timothy 6:6). Many evil such as theft, frauds, blood money, murder, idolatry, sexual immoralities and such like are all associated with discontentment. Happiness and peace does not by the abundance of things one has but the contentment for the least things (Luke 12:15).
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David Abankwah 