A Jed Clampet Sort of Grace

To practice the discipline of contentment, we must be set free from an all-consuming goal to increasingly achieve and attain. It’s still true that a man can’t serve two masters. (Luke 16:13) Real contentment comes when we begin to focus on spiritual depth instead of the superficial breadth lauded by modern standards.

Contentment never comes to those who are held captive to the eternal lust for success. When John Rockefeller was asked, “How much money is enough?”, his answer was, “A little more.” That will always be the answer to the question, “How much is enough?” Contentment where we are is a great blessing.

A scene from an old TV program illustrates the point well. The following is a conversation between Jed Clampett and Cousin Pearl in the classic 1960's television program The Beverly Hillbillies. The exchange took place right after Jed discovered oil had been struck on his land.

Jed: Pearl, what d’ya think? Think I oughta move?

Pearl: Jed, how can ya even ask? Look around ya. Yore eight miles from yore nearest neighbor. Yore overrun with skunks, possums, coyotes, bobcats. You use kerosene lamps fer light and you cook on a wood stove summer and winter. Yore drinkin’ homemade moonshine and washin’ with homemade lye soap. And yore bathroom is fifty feet from the house and you ask, “Should I move?”

Jed: I reckon yore right. A man’d be a dang fool to leave all this!

It's all a matter of persepective, isn't it? May our Father give us eyes to see His blessings and a heart to be content in whatever place we find ourselves in life.