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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Contentment

Lately I've been reading The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer and I am really enjoying my journey through the book.

I'm a sucker for all things self-improvement, unless it's that wacko new age stuff. I mean seriously some of the stuff I've come across is ridiculous. I recently googled "calm my heart" because it seems that I have a daily or rather hourly struggle with comparing my life and myself to others. It's an exhausting battle and I can't help but feel that I am letting God down by letting my mind dwell on things that aren't even broken. I already know that by spending so much time and energy merely thinking about these things that I am not strong or willing enough to tackle what tasks God truly has in mind for me to do.

And so I googled this phrase I came across this book called Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment written by Linda Dillow.

The title is self-explanatory and I was immediately drawn in. I'll have to admit that I don't actually own the book yet, nor read a single page. I... sort of cheated. I went on to Tumblr and searched the title to see what other women had to say about it. One of the posts I came upon raved about the contents of the book and explained that the author was clearly in constant prayer whilst writing her book. The blogger/user also posted one of the passages that she liked best. Ironic as it is, it dealt with contentment- something I am deeply passionate about attaining.


Her thoughts:
"It really makes you take a second look at your life and your attitude about how it is all unveiling at the moment. A woman named Ella wrote down a prescription for contentment and I feel it is best shared with everyone, so here you go:

1) Never allow yourself to Complain about anything - not even the weather.
2) Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else.
3) Never compare your lot with another’s.
4) Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
5) Never dwell on tomorrow - remember that  [tomorrow] is God’s, not ours.

When you read these things, you may feel like, 'Oh yes, of course, that all makes perfect sense. I’ll get right on that.' Unfortunately, my friends, it is a lot easier to read than it is to put into practice. I’ve been thinking on these for a few days now, and already I’ve broken them all. It is a continual prayer that we continue striving for these things, so that we can 'grow to possess the holy habit of contentment which will lead to an internal contentment.'"


I am anxious to get my hands on the book. Meanwhile I will continue to pray and ask for God's grace to hold my heart close to his own.

-Andrea

credit to givemecolor.tumblr.com