Today I want to talk about a word that’s sometimes really hard to swallow, but it is key to frugality: contentment. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 6:6, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” Sounds easy, but rarely actually is!
We live in America, the land of plenty. I love our great country and the opportunities it has. However, living in the land of plenty, we are almost daily faced with making choices to make sure we live in contentment. It can be hard. There are so many things and services around. And as we try to keep our lifestyle down to get out of debt or stay out of debt, that green-eyed monster starts to creep in. We need to remind ourselves that we don’t know other people’s situation. It’s easy to look at someone else and think things are so much better and easier for them, but we can’t see the whole picture. Maybe things aren’t as good as they appear.
It’s good to remind ourselves that we have a choice. But, in choices there are sacrifices. We need to learn to be content in the choices we make and not look at others. The choice my family is making right now is to save for another vehicle with cash. Our cars are both clunkers and need to be replaced before too long. Debt is not an option we will consider. By making this choice, it helps us to realize that the newest, coolest gadget isn’t important to us.
Remember stuff is JUST stuff. Stuff will not be nearly so shiny in a couple of weeks or months. The newness will wear off. Those gadgets will get old and need to be replaced with the new, better gadgets. You can always buy some stuff later, but contentment is a learned behavior that will truly make you happier. Not just today, when it’s shiny, but ALWAYS!
Just some food for thought!
