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Contentment Quiz


"Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody." -Benjamin Franklin

Had an online dialog a few weeks ago with a guy about what it means to be content with suffering. Though he leads a large number of people he just did not seem to "get it" as he spoke of a person who is fighting back and was overcoming their adversity. So I thought of a few questions about being content. Would you be content to:
  • be stuck in traffic for a long time with no chance to get off?
  • live in poverty with no hope of a better future for your kids?
  • only eat food that you do not like while you desire other food?
  • drive a car that is need of repair and constantly breaks down?
  • be imprisoned for life for a crime that you did not commit?
I think that these questions might give you a sense of what it means to be content with suffering. In my view contentment involves a surrender of control. It means accepting life as it is but not giving up on your dreams. And sometimes it means dreaming new dreams. What do you think of when you hear the word contentment?

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7 comments:

  1. SusanDecember 4, 2013 at 11:03:00 AM CST

    What contentment means to me is focusing on all the good things I do have, enjoy and am blessed with, even in the midst of things, conditions, circumstances, that I would prefer not to find myself dealing with and wish to be able to change.

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    1. kc bobDecember 4, 2013 at 11:15:00 AM CST

      I think that there is truth in the idea of counting our blessings Susan. Yet sometimes the trials are so overwhelming that it is hard to see, and be content with, those blessings. Guess it is why Paul said that he learned to be content. Perhaps contentment is a lifelong learning process?

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  2. WandaDecember 4, 2013 at 3:22:00 PM CST

    I'll just relate a brief story. Many years ago, I was on my way to a Bridal Shower 20 minutes from my home. I had only been on the freeway 5 minutes when it was obvious there was something very bad ahead. Three lanes of traffic to a standstill. Long story short..I was stuck on the freeway with no way to get off from 1 PM to 4:30 PM. The radio shared that several miles ahead a horrendous accident with fatalities. What happened next was an opportunity to write an article for our Church Newsletter. "Going Through vs Going Around"...the story of Jesus who NEEDED to go through to Samaria not around it. It life, there are things we need to go through. Yes, I was content to sit on the freeway for hours because God was teaching me how to be content.

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    1. kc bobDecember 4, 2013 at 4:09:00 PM CST

      I think that most folks are content to be inconvenienced for a few hours Wanda. The contentment I am thinking about is a bit more than a few hours. It is the contentment that one is forced to learn when there world is turned upside down with no hope of it ever being the way that it once was. Sometimes we are made to go through something for the rest of our lives. Hope that makes sense.

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  3. WandaDecember 4, 2013 at 5:08:00 PM CST

    Bob, if you can learn contentment in the moment and then it spreads to hours, days, months, and it my case it had to start somewhere. Yes, I agree, it's a lifetime things, and some endure a LOT more than others, yourself included. Contentment is a blanket for life, but under that blanket are so many personal things, that it's surely an individual thing. You comment did make sense, but I guess I was seeing it a little differently. Love these discussions. I'm content to leave it there. (smile)

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  4. photowannabeNovember 15, 2020 at 2:03:00 PM CST

    I think you are right that it's surrender..to being in control...to not having to be right all the time...to not having all the answers..it's difficult to be completely content when the ego wants to rear it's head and to be "boss"
    Sue

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    1. kc bobNovember 15, 2020 at 3:18:00 PM CST

      Thanks Sue. The ego does seem to be the enemy of humility and our ability to let go of control.

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