Contentment

LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

—Psalm 16:5–6

This is my favorite part of Psalm 16. These verses are a vision of contentment, and they can help us in two ways: as an assessment and as an aspiration. Sometimes you might look at those verses and think, My cup and my portion? Please! Not nearly enough! Are you crazy? These boundary lines? I am not feeling pleasant at all about them.

If that’s how you feel when you read those verses, it’s a sign that a lack of contentment is working its way into your life. You’ve bought into the idea that you know more than God knows about what will bring you true contentment. Your honest response to these verses is a warning indicator. It helps you know how much inner work, with God’s help, needs to be done. It’s painful, but it’s helpful.

If you feel your heart resounding with these words, you’re living with contentedness. You’re letting God’s vision for your life define your expectations for it. You’re letting his parameters be your parameters. When you begin to love the boundary lines God has placed on your life, you begin to experience true joy, true freedom, and true contentment.