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Our human nature makes us always long for something more, but we will only be truly satisfied when we learn to find contentment in God.
Many years ago, my younger brother’s first job was as a caseworker for the Department of Human Services in our small hometown. One day, a coworker’s client reported that she had lost her food stamps. Since the woman wouldn’t receive any more stamps for two weeks, the employees pooled what little money they could spare and bought groceries for her. The next day, the woman’s caseworker brought back her response—she complained because the groceries didn’t include enough meat.
This woman had an attitude problem that was first exhibited by Eve in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:6-7). God had provided the perfect environment for meeting all of Adam and Eve’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. They were surrounded by beauty and bounty, but when Satan drew Eve’s attention to the forbidden tree, she experienced discontent for the first time. Her focus shifted away from all that she enjoyed to the one thing that God had withheld from her. Her happiness and well-being suddenly seemed to depend on eating fruit from the tree in the middle of the Garden. Nothing else would satisfy her.
Unfortunately, we’ve all inherited the tendency to want more than what we have. When our eyes are drawn to the one thing we don’t have, suddenly our houses, furniture, marriages, or families don’t seem to be quite enough. It’s hard to stay focused on our blessings when something else is tempting us. This attitude insults God and inevitably leads us into sin. We can cultivate contentment by asking God to remove our desires for something more and then by trusting Him to provide what He knows is best for us. With His help, we will learn to be satisfied. Then, even when we don’t have as much meat—or fruit—in our diet as we might like, we will still find contentment in God.
I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. Philippians 4:11 (NASB)
© Dianne Neal Matthews (www.DianneNealMatthews.com). Dianne is a freelance writer and the author of four daily devotional books. This article is adapted from her book, The One Year Women of the Bible (Tyndale House).
This “One Minute Meditation” focuses on finding contentment through our relationship with God:
