were around eight, six, four and two.
Not too long ago a friend asked me, “Kim, how do you stay so content?” Without waiting for an answer she went on to state that contentment was something every woman she knew was searching for. After pondering this question for a few months, I’d like to answer with my thoughts regarding contentment.
Most of what I have to share comes from the quotes on the front
of my refrigerator. The first step in contentment for me is wrapped up in the quote “Have a little attitude, try gratitude.” Along with our family’s definition for contentment, “being flexible and thankful for what you have.” I believe contentment is a
choice. For instance, am I thankful for a warm dry house or am I bummed because I don’t have a master bathroom?
When we lived in an apartment on the third floor, with no elevator, I could have been extremely frustrated to drag groceries and two small children up three flights of stairs each week. Then I could have topped that with the trials of doing laundry which was located in the basement on the diret opposite end of the building. Or I could be thankful that I could clean that apartment in less than an hour if I had to and could do three loads of laundry at one time. On top of that there were no home improvement projects vying for my attention. It was really a time free from distractions if could keep a good attitude.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t ever want, I desperately want more children. But that is very unlikely to happen since my husband had a vasectomy after our fourth child was born. The contentment or lack of it comes with what I do now. Attitude or gratitude. The temptations have come; I’ve thought I could never have sex with him again, that seems like an appropriate punishment for the crime. Or I could make his life miserable by
constantly reminding him of how wrong he is. Instead I have chosen to respect my husband and believe God is big enough to move either of us to where He wants us. At the same time I am purposing not to lose any of the joy that comes with the children we do have, just because I am wishing for something that is out of my control.
(since the initial writing of this, God moved In Todd’s heart to
have a reversal which occurred when our youngest was three. We have not been blessed with another bundle but we are content to be leaving it in God’s hands without our trying to stop Him.)
More quotes tomorrow.