<p>Contentment is described as an emotional state of satisfaction that can be seen as a mental attribute, drawn from being at ease in one’s situation, body and mind. Colloquially speaking, contentment could be having accepted one’s situation, being a milder and more tentative form of happiness.</p>.<p>But, how do you arrive at your contentment quotient? Do you divide your joys by your sorrows or vice versa, and arrive at an equation where they either balance off or one exceeds the other?</p>.<p>Contentment as a form of happiness in our hearts, minds, bodies and soul is ours to imbibe. We may soar to heights of joy, or otherwise plunge to depths of despair as experiences of life’s journey, and acceptance of either with composure, will ensure contentment abides within us.</p>.<p>There is the parable in the Old Testament about a man named Job, who was extremely wealthy and with not a care in the world, until intolerable suffering from ill health hit him out of the blue. Overnight he had to decide how to accept his misery! We are told he spoke to the Lord and proclaimed “I shall be patient as you are surely caring for me in this plight!”</p>.<p>How many of us can be contented in misery. Truly difficult but answers are often hard to come by, so best is to be forbearing in all that befalls. We take joys for granted and revel in them, often forgetting they’re a gift of the Almighty, for which a small prayer of thanks is in order. A prayer is known to give us the resilience to help us tide over our moments of distress.</p>.<p>Yet when situations are challenging, it’s time too, to wing a prayer to God, to walk by our side as we struggle to cope.</p>.<p>The beautiful words of a song illustrated by two sets of footprints in the sand along a shore, which then morph into one, make the walker who’d been suddenly beset with problems, cry out to God in agony for an explanation, weeping “Why Lord have You abandoned me? God replied “When you were fine, I walked beside you; now don’t you realise the lone footprints are mine, as I carry you on my shoulders to assist in bearing your burdens!”</p>.<p>Reassurances are plenty to find in all religious texts, plus in many motivational sharings to gear us towards being accepting and contented with our lot in life…</p>
<p>Contentment is described as an emotional state of satisfaction that can be seen as a mental attribute, drawn from being at ease in one’s situation, body and mind. Colloquially speaking, contentment could be having accepted one’s situation, being a milder and more tentative form of happiness.</p>.<p>But, how do you arrive at your contentment quotient? Do you divide your joys by your sorrows or vice versa, and arrive at an equation where they either balance off or one exceeds the other?</p>.<p>Contentment as a form of happiness in our hearts, minds, bodies and soul is ours to imbibe. We may soar to heights of joy, or otherwise plunge to depths of despair as experiences of life’s journey, and acceptance of either with composure, will ensure contentment abides within us.</p>.<p>There is the parable in the Old Testament about a man named Job, who was extremely wealthy and with not a care in the world, until intolerable suffering from ill health hit him out of the blue. Overnight he had to decide how to accept his misery! We are told he spoke to the Lord and proclaimed “I shall be patient as you are surely caring for me in this plight!”</p>.<p>How many of us can be contented in misery. Truly difficult but answers are often hard to come by, so best is to be forbearing in all that befalls. We take joys for granted and revel in them, often forgetting they’re a gift of the Almighty, for which a small prayer of thanks is in order. A prayer is known to give us the resilience to help us tide over our moments of distress.</p>.<p>Yet when situations are challenging, it’s time too, to wing a prayer to God, to walk by our side as we struggle to cope.</p>.<p>The beautiful words of a song illustrated by two sets of footprints in the sand along a shore, which then morph into one, make the walker who’d been suddenly beset with problems, cry out to God in agony for an explanation, weeping “Why Lord have You abandoned me? God replied “When you were fine, I walked beside you; now don’t you realise the lone footprints are mine, as I carry you on my shoulders to assist in bearing your burdens!”</p>.<p>Reassurances are plenty to find in all religious texts, plus in many motivational sharings to gear us towards being accepting and contented with our lot in life…</p>