ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 SAPATE SIULAI 19, 2026

KOHELETI 5-8; FILIPAI 4:10-13

A life of gratitude and joy grows in the soil of contentment.

Ko e mo’ui hounga’iaa mo e fiefia ‘oku tupu ‘i he kelekele ‘o e mo’ui topono. 

I have a wonderfully blessed life, yet I still find reasons to complain. On this side of eternity grumbling seems to be the default language of the human community. There is a reason for this. Selfishness is in the DNA of sin. Sin causes us to put ourselves in the center of our world and make life all about us. Life gets reduced to our wants, our needs, and our feelings. And there is no end to the catalog of things we find dissatisfying. We complain about the weather, traffic, and waiting in line. We whine that there's nothing to eat, nothing worth watching, and too much to do. We're bored, we don't feel well, and everything costs too much. We're tired of dealing with our kids, our parents, our spouses, and our churches. A life of complaint is a life shrunken to the size of one person. It's a life of entitlement. It's God-forgetful. This life robs you of your joy. Complaint crushes glad-hearted worship. God did not design us to be lifelong complainers.

Note the Preacher's take on contentment:

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil-this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. (Eccl. 5:18-20)

Contentment is not the product of an affluent and easy life. This passage talks about enjoyment both in toil and in wealth. Contentment depends not on your situation but on the heart that you bring to each situation. Fabulously wealthy  people complain. Poor people complain. People in between complain. Joy in labor is possible only when you are thankful that God has provided you with a job and the ability to work. Toil is a good gift from God, as is every opportunity I get to enjoy the fruit of my labor. Every day of my life is a gift from God, and every day is filled with more gifts from him.

This passage teaches us one more important thing. Contentment itself is a gift from God. It's not natural for sinners to be content. When I'm content, the joy in my heart protects me from finding things to grumble about. Are you content? Confess your discontentment, and God will give you grace for the struggle.