Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Pearl of Contentment

“Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and a happy purchase.”

~John Balguy.

Desire is a captivating thing. There are literally families and entire clans of desire that wait at our beck and call, for that opportune time to plead their rather convincing cases to weaken our fumbling resolve. And in that, too, is the little pearl of significantly greater value—the wisdom of restraint for faith in contentment.

This is the great truth of life: the good is generally hidden, and it’s generally only found by the searcher; that person who knocks at the right door and waits patiently to be answered.

The pearl of contentment is a habit that can be bought at will, but we must enter the right market place and go to the right stall. We have in tow an attitude of curiosity and discernment. We actively go after this rare jewel.

The Aspect of Retrospective Sight – Hindsight

Contentment requires faith. The purchaser of the pearl of contentment makes the selection of a thing that is able to see beyond the desire of the moment. Their choice is wise in that desires are not ordinarily satisfiable. Desires keep coming back for more.

Contentment on the other hand is something we can feel anytime... and it enriches the experience of everything in its reach.

It rests in a hope of something not yet certain, but something altogether real all the same.

And then it sees at the end, from its hindsight that its faith was perfectly justified, even if things haven’t turned out as expected, for at least it has learned some things and it has grown as a result. To learn is a great blessing.

Contentment is always aligning its hope to the truth of achievable reality. It doesn’t tend to insanity.

It doesn’t hold out hope in the improbable. It just doesn’t bother at all with that sort of teasing thinking. Its focus is elsewhere in an absolute sense.

Peace

Hence, contentment rests in the blessings of an unencumbered life; a life free from the regurgitating life that is never sated—that pathetic desire-dripping life of antipathy. Instead it knows a life beyond life as many know it—a life the foolish think is a mirage.

If only they truly knew! And we pray that one day they do.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.

2 comments:

  1. Contentment is always aligning its hope to the truth of achievable reality. It doesn’t tend to insanity.

    It doesn’t hold out hope in the improbable. It just doesn’t bother at all with that sort of teasing thinking. Its focus is elsewhere in an absolute sense "

    Excellent word Steve - wow! God has greatly anointed you with "pearls of wisdom" pearls of great price that will bring many people to the foot of the cross in repentance and thanksgiving. We cannot put on a price on salvation, it is priceless. Amen!

    Amen! Amen! Amen! I thank God with all my heart that contentment and peace amongst this hellish world is uppermost from day to day. The knowledge that I can call on my Father for ANYTHING and the security this brings is too wonderful to comprehend.

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  2. Hi Sue - your word (via the final para) is very apt. Thanks for stopping by to encourage me via your feedback. It's always appreciated. God bless, Steve.

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