Promise for Today - The State of "Lagom"

NOTE: For the rest of November, I will share Thanksgiving moments written by other authors.
Today's devotional was written by Dena Dyer
*********************************************************************
You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
Matthew 5:5, The Message

Have you heard the word ‘lagom’? It’s a Swedish term (pronounced “law-gum”) that describes the concept of having just the right amount of something: not too little, not too much. Embedded in the word (and the Swedish lifestyle) is the idea of finding contentment with what we already have—in our career, [our] relationships, and with our material goods.

For Americans, lagom is a counter-cultural concept, but as believers, it’s one we should pray to develop. As Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:6, “godliness with contentment is great gain.”

How do we achieve contentment? Even in the wording of that question, we find a problem. Contentment, much like faith, hope, or love, is a spiritual by-product of our relationship to God. It’s not something we can achieve without supernatural intervention.

In our humanness, we pile ambition on top of greed, create busyness where there is peace, and sacrifice family for fame. With our Creator’s help, though, we can resist the frantic search for approval and achievement, [and be] content to rest because we’re assured of our beloved-by-God state.

Prayer:

Lord,
        Give us peace about where we are and what we have. We are so thankful for all the gifts You’ve graciously given, and we trust You to meet our needs. In You alone we can rest content. In Jesus’ Name

Contentment

Today's Promise comes from Jesus Listens Note-Taking Edition by Sarah Young
*************************
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  

Philippians 4:12

Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. 

Psalm 62:8

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night. 

Psalm 92:1–2 NKJV

Help us to learn the secret of being content in any and every situation. We realize that contentment-training is a challenging process — learned through enduring a wide range of difficulties. We thought we were fairly advanced in this training, but then the circumstances of  life got harder. On some days we're able to cope fairly well with all the stress. On other days we just want out! Please teach us how to handle the “other days.”

We are so grateful that we can pour out our heart to You — acknowledging how frustrated and upset we might feel. Just releasing those pent-up feelings in Your Presence does us a world of good. Knowing that You completely understand us and our circumstances encourages us even more.

Lord, 

         Please deepen our awareness of Your continual Presence. We know we need to stay in communication with You — talking with You, bathing our minds and hearts in scriptures that speak to our situations. And singing praises to You lifts our spirit like nothing else! It is good to sing praises to Your Name — declaring Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night. In Your loving Name, Jesus, Amen

* As a Child

[Jesus speaking] said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:3 ESV

I have a tall, thin, blue wine-shaped bottle that I use to collect coins (mostly pennies). My youngest granddaughter has always been enamored with that bottle. When she was about three, it used to be one of her favorite things. We'd pour out all the pennies and Abby would put them back in, one by one, and then want to do it again; but we haven't done it in a long time. Recently, she asked for the bottle and we poured out all the pennies and she began coming up with unusual ways to pick them up and put them back in (including picking them up with her toes and actually getting them in the bottle!). She was enthralled with the whole idea. 

As a child, she saw all those pennies and exclaimed, "We are rich!" We played with them for about an hour-and-a-half. All the while, she kept saying, "We're rich!" "Isn't this fun, Granna?" "Let's do it again!" As an adult, at first I laughed at her idea of rich, but then I remembered this verse, and I saw it through a whole, new light of understanding and realized we ARE abundantly rich. We have love and we have each other, joy in the moment, everything we need. We weren't concerned about jobs or bills or anything!

As a child, Abby was perfectly content with what was in front of her. When we, as adults, can acknowledge God in our daily lives and be perfectly content with what is in front of us, perhaps we'll grasp the Truth of what it means to come as a child. 

Prayer:

Father,

        Your Word tells us in Hebrews to be content with what we have, because You have said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  We trust You, O God! There is no greater sense of contentment than being in Your presence. Thank You for the reminder of what it means to come as a child. Please keep us ever mindful, for we want to enter the kingdom of Heaven. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen