DISCLAIMER:

live with physical challenges.
I am NOT a DOCTOR!!! I don't even play one on TV!!! It is my goal to live a more healthy lifestyle. Living well and being happy is what this blog is all about.

"Nothing,' wrote Tolstoy, 'can make our life, or the lives of other people, more
beautiful than perpetual kindness."

- Gretchen Rubin




I write about my own experiences and what works (or does not) for me. Nothing I write is to be taken as medical advice.

Only your health care provider, personal physician,Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor - I don't even play one on TV! This
or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs.








Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Enjoy the Christmas Present

Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.   - Lao Tzu 

How do you define contentment?  Well, it is "the quality or state of being contented."  Helpful?  Not as helpful as I'd hoped.  So the state of being contented means what exactly?  The word contented is defined as "feeling or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation."  Now we can have a discussion.  

Can you show satisfaction with what you own or who you are or the situation you're in without actually feeling satisfied?  People do it every day!  It's called acting!  We put on the mask and make believe everything is great all the time.  Is that true contentment?  Far from it.  Does merely acting like you are content do the trick?  Huh-uh, not even almost.



How do you make contentment real then?  I believe you have to begin finding true contentment outside of yourself.  If I keep my eyes on my stuff and compare it to someone else's stuff - their stuff will look better than my stuff and I will get discontent very quickly.  When I realize that stuff is just stuff and it has nothing to do with who I am as a person, that's when I get my real sense of contentment back.

If you are not a highly educated person and you have friends with degrees to wallpaper their bathrooms with, it can make you discontented and envious.  When I stop to think that I serve THE teacher of all teachers - God, and I realize that I can talk with God and He won't ask me how many initials I have behind my name, that empowers me!  I gain real contentment about who I am in the Lord.  It means so much to take a step back and think about that. 

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. - Henry David Thoreau
 
We all have been discontent at times.  Discontentment can lead you down a self-destructive path unless you nip it.  Contentment is such a crucial part of health and wellness.  Whether you dwell in a castle or in a tent, it doesn't matter.  Whether you have earned a doctorate or a high school diploma, it doesn't matter.  Whether the situation you find yourself in is perfect or quite the opposite, it doesn't matter.  Your personal sense of contentment determines how your body will react when there is outside stress inflicted.

Finding peace within is part of finding true wellness.  Life is not what we order and it does not bow to our every whim and desire.  God is in control of my life and I trust Him to know where my life is going and He will determine where I go from here.  I fully surrender my possessions, my status and my situation to Him and His perfect will for my life.  

The Apostle Paul talked about contentment:

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  - Philippians 4:12

Is your contentment real or are you still wearing a mask?  Ask God to help you feel the peace that real contentment offers.


While everyone is scrambling around trying to get their last-minute Christmas gifts purchased, I am just living here in the moment. I have found contentment. Looking in the past brings meloncholy. Looking into the future brings fear. I'm in the present moment - and that's the best Christmas present I could ever receive. Thank You, Lord!  I'm so grateful to God for sending Jesus to die for my sins.  I celebrate HIS birthday - not mine.

Hope you like this jazz tune from the David Leonhardt Trio called, "Whispers of Contentment".  I wish true contentment for you today!  It's Christmas - be in the present!

http://youtu.be/Qz5fJyM_Xwc

Today is BAKE COOKIES DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!  Grab those grandkids and mess up your kitchen today!  Isn't that what it's all about?  I like white chocolate macademia nut cookies - in case you want to make me a batch!  Enjoy baking cookies for your friends and neighbors today!




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