Contentment

For many people, discontentment is just a part of their every day life. They've lived with it so long that they can't recognize the negative effects it has had.

Discontentment is serious and must be addressed.

I read an article a while ago titled "Destroy Her With Discontent" and it struck a chord. Recently, I have been struggling with thoughts of discontentment, and it reminded me of that article, which I then decided to revisit.

It's not actually an article. It's a letter in the style of the letters in C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters - in which an senior "wiser" demon is writing to a novice demon about ways to effectively draw an individual away from the faith. (I have started reading that book, and it is great.)

In this particular letter, a senior demon writes to another about the subject of discontentment and how sowing its seeds reaps a great reward (for them) at the end.

One paragraph reads:

"I’m writing to you today to discuss discontent. Now it doesn’t matter what particular topic the discontent fastens to. Just look for any little nook or cranny in their souls where you can insert the seeds of discontent, making sure that they take root. With some women, it may be best to plant the seeds of discontent somewhere around the topic of their looks: their face, their weight, their figure. If, in the off chance, that doesn’t seem to take, latch onto the topic of relationships..."

Okay, wow.

Any little nook or cranny. That's all the space it takes for a seed to be able to take root. Once that seed takes root and it is watered and fed enough, it will grow into a bigger problem, pushing and straining and making the space it occupies even bigger.

"The first step with each of your girls is to find just a cozy little something to make them unhappy — and then tend it. Tending it means that you need to keep them concentrated on the thing itself, while keeping them from noticing the state of their own soul. Keep them looking at their husband’s failings (“he just doesn’t seem to even care about my needs”) and not their own heart. Keep them looking “in the mirror,” if you will."

It just shows how sad a state it is and how much power it can hold over your life.

"Obviously, this means you need to keep them away from the Enemy’s book. If it happens that you can’t keep them from the book completely, you can effectively turn it to your advantage by simply making sure to keep all their thoughts focused on how... [and on it goes]."

If it can keep you from the Bible and time spent with God, it will no doubt flourish in your life... I don't want to live a life of unhappiness. Always picking at this and that and grouching about everything that might be going wrong. That's just not a pleasant way to live, and it will turn you into an unpleasant person that others would not want to be around.

 I always find that spending time in the Word helps to clear my mind and get my feet back on to reality.

Because reality is that I am loved. By the most powerful force in the Universe, Love Himself. God.
Reality is that I am blessed. I am taken care of. He promises to provide for all my needs. That He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Allowing thoughts that belittle my worth to settle in my mind is wrong. Because I DO have worth. The price that paid for my redemption was the death of Christ on Calvary... Why would I allow the enemy to tell me I am worthless??? That really is a shocking thought. Christ thought I was worthy. He died for me.

Would I say to His face that what he did for me was nothing? No. Of course not. 
What he did for me was everything.

I have every right and freedom to be content and joyful, no matter what the circumstances are around me. 


The article is found here.

What I've Been Reading Lately

Ok. When I say "reading", listening to an audiobook also counts. :) Audiobooks are great since I can multitask... Gardening and audiobooks are a perfect combination!

I accumulated 5 credits on my audible account as I couldn't decide on books to buy, and since 5 (or 6?) was the limit, I figured I better use some of those credits up.

I had been seeing social media posts about the Poldark tv series. Now, I hadn't seen any of the episodes, but it looked like something I would enjoy. (Can't get the show in Canada, sadly). I checked to see if it is based on a book series, and indeed it is! A saga, actually. There are about 15 books to the series, authored by Winston Graham.

Off I went and downloaded the first book, "Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall". I really liked the narrator, he was pleasing to listen to. The novel itself is just what I like. Lots of character building throughout as the plot unfolds, and the main characters themselves are very interesting and likable. It took me around a week and a half to listen to the whole book.

You know, I really miss the days when I would find a series and just devour it book by book. I've looked around for current series but they're just not what I'm into these days. Young adult series about revolutions and such were for 16 year old me. ;) (Think: The Hunger Games)

I'm happy to have found this saga... I will be working through reading (or listening) to each book.

I've already started listening to the second: "Demelza". She is an interesting character to be sure. Wife to Ross Poldark, she is still considered by many to be of inferior class, as she was born to a farming family and she worked as a servant until her marriage to Ross. Feisty and full of heart, her story is sure to be full of joys and heartaches.

A book that I finished (also listening to) today is "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. That one's a bit of a classic, I think. I see references to it all the time. Now, who would have thought that I'd enjoy a comedic science fiction novel? Not normally something I would go for, but I just felt that I would like this. And I really did enjoy it. I loved the humour intertwined with the plot and all the little details and explanations for unrealistic events that made everything seem so plausible. Haha. Just an interesting and amusing book that is lighthearted at its core.

I'm definitely going to read the next book... as it is also a series! Yay! Just checked, and it looks like there are 6 novels. The next in line is "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe". Such a cool title. And I'm glad it looks like it will pick up right from where the first book left off... It was a bit of a cliff hanger.

I also just bought a non-fiction book to read, titled "Made for More" by Hannah Anderson. It talks about how each of us is made in God's image for purposes beyond what we can see. Lately I've been slipping into negative self-talk and I just want to step away from that and clear my mind and saturate myself with truth. I decided on getting this book, and I'm also looking for books that talk about anxiety, since I'm struggling with that too.

I think books like these can be useful. It forces you to put positive thoughts about yourself into your head--that's what I need right now.

I'm going to start reading the book tonight and I'll be sure to write a review of it soon.

Reading Goals

One of my goals for 2018 is to start reading more.

I used to be obsessed with reading when I was younger. It started when I was 8 years old. We had just moved to Canada from the Philippines. My English was good but not fluent. I was given books to read, and I found that I absolutely loved getting into a good story. My siblings and I got library cards and that was that. 

I didn't keep track of the books I was reading until I was in high school and I discovered goodreads. (It became my favourite website throughout high school!) I don't know exactly how many books I read in public school... but it was a lot. I always had a book going. I also didn't learn book snobbery until high school. I just read whatever I got my hands on. Books that were in the school library, books that my grandma/great-grandma gave me, books recommended to me from the public library.

In high school I expanded some of my reading territory into that of the classics... Pride and Prejudice, I think, was the one that started my love for books set in the Regency/Victorian era. Once I got through P&P I found it was easier to get through the older books. You get used to the language and style.

I remained introverted throughout high school. Plus, I didn't have a phone. So during quiet moments, and lunch breaks, I read. All the time. One year I tracked every single book I managed to read and the number I ended with was 112. (I know people who read 300 books... I'm not that fast of a reader. When I read I savour every word.)

However, once I started college classes, I stopped reading so much... Life just got more complicated and busy. I also struggled with depression and anxiety... I would have times when I would read a lot, but also times when I didn't read at all for weeks or months at a time.

Now I am done with college courses (for now, at least) and I'm working. It's still hard to get into a book. Though these days I do have plenty of time to read, I also have plenty of other distractions... Number 1 being my phone. -__- That's one of my biggest distractions these days. I would sit down to read a chapter or two, but end up picking up my phone and scrolling for hours. I think everyone can relate. 

So here is my reading goal for 2018:

In January I challenge myself to reading 52 books. Which equals roughly 1 book a week.

- Have I been meeting this? Nope. I'm 8 books behind.

- Can I catch up? I will try. It would be terrific if I CAN catch up and go beyond.

I will lower the number though to 40 and see what happens.

Next post coming up: What I've been reading lately.