Quotes about Contentment

As the fire doth mount upwards, and the needle that is touched with the loadstone still turneth to the north, so the converted soul is inclined to God. Nothing else can satisfy him, nor can he find any content and rest but in his love. In a word, all that are converted do esteem and love God better than all the world; and the heavenly felicity is dearer to them than their fleshly prosperity.

If God be not enough for you, you will never have enough. Turn to him more, and know him better, if you would have a satisfied mind. -Directions Against Sinful Desires and Discontent.

Till you can rest in God's will you will never have rest.

I am persuaded our discontents, and murmurings with out unpleasing condition, and our covetous desires after more, are not so provoking to God, nor so destructive to the sinner, as our too sweet enjoying, and rest of spirit in a pleasing state. . . . Our rest is our heaven, and where we take our rest, there we make our heaven(457).

Though every man naturally abhorreth sorrow, and loves the most merry and joyful life; yet few do love the way to joy, or will endure the pains by which it is obtained; they will take the next that comes to hand, and content themselves with earthly pleasures, rather than they will ascend to heaven to seek it ;l and yet when all is done, they must have it there, or be without it (491).

word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;

God has made us His children. None of us deserves this, so there is no need to compare our blessings with those of other children of God. Jealousy is self-centeredness at its worst. It robs us of joy and chokes out contentment. It hardens the heart and stifles gratitude.

6Now godliness with econtentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into this world, 4and it is fcertain we can carry nothing out. 8And having food and clothing, with these we shall be gcontent.

Your concern is not so much to have what you love anymore, but to love what you have—right now. This is a monumental change from the first half of life, so much so that it is almost the litmus test of whether you are in the second half of life at all.

In my experience, if you are not radically grateful every day, resentment always takes over.

I am not preoccupied with collecting more goods and services; quite simply, my desire and effort—every day—is to pay back, to give back to the world a bit of what I have received.

Your concern is not so much to have what you love anymore, but to love what you have—right now.