Sabbath Week 6 Practice:
Contentment and Delight
Contentment and gratitude are counter-cultural postures in today’s world. In every moment of our days, deep within us, there is an ongoing inventory of what we don’t have and what we don’t already do. In the Bow Valley especially a conversation I hear often is, “Oh, I don’t do (insert outdoor activity), but I want to get into it and I’m going to get all the gear.” Our world teaches us that delight and satisfaction is eternally “around the corner” and it requires of us a striving that often produces casualties in the form of relationships, schedules, budgets and soul restfulness. In fact, in 1 Timothy 6, God says those who live with discontentment “pierce themselves with many griefs.”
Therefore, we invite you to create contentment practices during your Sabbath to aid in delighting in gifts you already have!
In the Scriptures, trade and commerce, buying and selling were all prohibited on the Sabbath to help the whole community rest from the need for some other thing to achieve their delight. And while we aren’t bound by the letter of this law, there is enduring wisdom to be gained here. There is wisdom in understanding and practicing contentment as a means to our delight and restfulness. Because we know, that every good gift we already have—the provision we have, the place we live and the people around us—they all come from Jesus!
So here’s a few thoughts to get you started on ways to mindfully practice contentment:
Spend time journaling and listing specific things in which you are grateful
If you live with family or with friends, vocalize gratitude around the dinner table, listing the things, people, and moments in recent memory that you recognize as gifts from God.
Throughout the day, as you rest and delight, pause and thank God in the small beauty of ordinary things: laughter, a good meal, a touch from a spouse, a smile on your child’s face, a conversation with a good friend, a work of art.
Don’t shop. Don’t window shop. Don’t peruse shopping options online.
If your mind is drawn to something you’d like to buy, something you don’t have, something you want… Pause, remember all you have, and practice contentment instead.
Share you abundance! Participate when invited to share in other’s abundance!
Go! Enjoy what you have, where you live, who you’re with! Do things that are fun, joyful and bring delight to your soul.
Questions to Ponder:
Reflect:
What has been your experience practicing Sabbath over the last month or so? How is going? What’s helping you rest? Where are you still discovering unrestfulness? How can you reach out if you need help?
What was your Sabbath practice of cultivating life in the previous week? How did you discover it bringing you life in the process? What did you learn about what it means to be human through the act?
How have you discovered joy and delight in seeking the life and goodness of another person?
Anticipate:
How can you practice contentment and delight during your Sabbath, what are some tangible practices that could help?
What do you find typically increases your sense of contentment and delight?
What do you find typically decreases your sense of contentment and delight?
What’s your plan to share delight with others?