Contentment

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Growing up, “count your blessings” was a phrase I often heard, in one place or another whether at home, church, and from coaches in post game speeches. It seemed to be an especially common response whenever one was feeling tempted to covet the success or possessions of someone else. Yes, we may have a beautiful home in which we live, or the faithful love of a spouse who sticks with us through thick and thin, but someone else may have a home and a pool, a spouse and children. Substitute these examples for the countless ways in which we are personally tempted, and you get the idea. 

If we ever find ourself in a struggle count your blessings, it may be that you need to reassess your definition of a blessed life. 

For the Christian, according to St. Paul, there is a singular blessing from which endless life and “fulfillment,” to use a modern phrase, flows: Christ Himself. Listen again to His words from Ephesians 1:3. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” In Christ, every possible blessing is to be found. If you feel your life lacks blessing, it is most likely rooted in a search for blessings in all the wrong places: relationships, possessions, positions of power, physical beauty, or good health. 

For the disciple of Christ, each of these earthly blessings can be lacking or limited while still living a life of complete blessedness and peace. Look to the countless examples of the saintly men and women who have gone before us: people who endured poverty, illness, and even torture for their faith, yet content in every way. When we know and encounter the living Christ, everything else is transformed before our eyes. Contentment rushes in and the concerns of this earthly life are seen for what they truly are: momentary and fleeting distractions that keep us from setting our hearts and lives fully upon the joy of heaven, where we will know Christ and be known by Him forever.

Whatever this season of life may hold for us, hold fast to this truth: in Christ we have received every possible blessing.