“I inhabit the praises of my people.” Psalm 22:3

The last few years I haven’t made any official New Years Resolutions. I’ve found them hard to keep. Some say if you write them down, you are more likely to apply them. But I recently heard only 8% of people keep their resolutions anyway so apparently writing them down doesn’t really even help.

Instead, I’ve chosen to set character goals and each year I choose a word to live by.

Last year, my word was gratitude.

 Because Gratitude is life changing.

And when I came across the above verse earlier this week, I literally couldn’t read past it simply for the truth I had learned over this past year. I felt like God was saying …

I am found in gratitude. I am present in your praises. You are most aware of my presence when you are present … living in the moment, praising me in contentment and gratitude.

So this year, I think my word is contentment.

I hesitate to choose this word because I know what selecting it means … actually being content.

 Andy Stanley says “discontentment is driven by awareness.”

In other words, I am only discontent with where I am in life or the things I have when I look around compare myself with where you are in life and the things you have.

Social media is literally the worst about this by constantly haunting us with someone else’s highlight reel, making us feel (its never reality) like we are somehow missing out or lacking something in ourselves.

But what if instead we embrace today, who we are and the people and things we do have in our lives … wouldn’t we be content?

So when I say contentment, I don’t mean it in a way in which I am settling or not striving to better myself, but in a way that means I quit looking around and comparing my life and instead choose gratitude for the simple day to day moments which leads me to contentment and ultimately joy.

“Being joyful isn’t what makes you grateful. Being grateful is what makes you joyful.” – Ann Voskamp

In a culture constantly bombarding us with bigger and better and more, more, more, I am convinced contentment is the true key to peace and lasting happiness.

And contentment always begins with being grateful in the moment …

for what you have

right here

and

right now.

“If you stop looking, you may find that nothing is missing.”@_dleveque_

For more on living in the moment in gratitude I would highly recommend One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.