Transcript of the show:
Welcome to Contentment Matters! I am your host Cindy Schwerdtfeger. If you’ve tried searching for contentment in many directions and have not been satisfied with the outcome, you have come to the right place.
Today I share about my path to contentment and how I have gotten where I am now:
I have longed for satisfaction in my life and work for as long as I can remember. As a young girl, I couldn’t wait to grow up, finish high school, and grow up to achieve my dreams as an adult. I wasn’t satisfied with being a young girl; I wanted more. I wanted to find the man of my dreams and have the perfect children. And I wanted a job that would bring me great satisfaction and the accolades that went with it. I wanted to do something meaningful that mattered to the world.
Fast forward, I graduated high school and college, found the man of my dreams, and had two almost perfect Jesus-loving children. We are all not perfect. And my husband and my kids have made me a proud wife and momma for all their accomplishments, and I love being Oma, the German name for grandma, to our grandchildren.
Many years ago, I read these verses from Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 – “Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment[a] in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil — this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.”
I wanted that – to work hard and enjoy my work all the days of my life that God gives me. I wanted to have wealth, possessions, and the power to enjoy – both wealth and possessions. I wanted to accept where I was and rejoice in my work. I desired that gift from God and to have a joyful heart.
But none of the jobs I have done in my 30+ years in the workforce have satisfied my longing for contentment, peace, acceptance, and the accolades of a job well done.
God is the only one I have found who provides all this and more.
After a sudden change in my employment in 2019, I realized how I had taken control of my life and determined my path was better for me. I feared God’s plan wasn’t good enough for me, and I was impatient that His timing wasn’t the best for me. So when this job change happened, I changed from going on my path to following His plan for my life and trusting Him with the outcome. When I surrendered control of my life back to Him and humbly submitted to His Will, I found His plan was the way to that life of peace and the satisfaction or joy within my heart to rejoice in my work.
For almost three years, I have written on my blog at godsplanguidedsteps.com – about finding contentment in God’s plan. This podcast is a result of hearing from others that there is a need for others like me who have been searching for contentment and satisfaction and finding that contentment in God.
So speaking about the podcast–-what does the podcast name: Contentment Matters mean? Let’s dig into that a bit ….
The dictionary definition of Contentment is a state of happiness and satisfaction. In the Greek New Testament, using my BlueletterBible app, contentment is sufficient for oneself, strong enough not to need additional aid or support. A person is content with one’s lot. So….Contentment in life means satisfaction in life that God is enough for you and content with your lot/circumstance.
I hope you heard me there…the world tells us ‘you do you’ and you are enough as who you are. Our worth and satisfaction in this life are NOT found in our worth, the things we do, or the accolades we obtain from it. It is found in God alone. He made us in His image, and if we follow the ‘you do you’ model, we are making ourselves the center of our lives instead of God.
So repeating what I said, Contentment is: Contentment in life means satisfaction in life that God is enough for me and that I am content with my lot or circumstance.
Onto the word Matters.
Matters as a verb in the dictionary that means … “it is of importance or significance.”
Contentment matters because it is important to God in this life and after we die. Jesus said I have come that you may have a full life (John 10:10b). Contentment matters after we die as we want to live in peace with God and be in His presence for all eternity.
At Contentment Matters, my guests and I will share how we have found that contentment in God and life. We will share the Biblical principles that have helped us achieve satisfaction in our Christian lives.
You can connect with me on my website: godsplanguidedsteps.com or @godsplanguidedsteps on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to avoid missing an episode. I hope you will join me next week as we dive into why I believe contentment matters to you and the upcoming topics ahead.
