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Contentment: The Secret to a Lasting Calm
In a world that honors outward achievement, tells people they'll never have enough, and encourages an impossibly busy life, peace and contentment can feel like a distant dream. But Dr. Swenson, the bestselling author of "Margin," shows that it really is possible.
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 23, 2013
41 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 13, 2015
In Contentment: The Secret to a Lasting Calm, author Richard Swenson explores the concept of choosing to be content no matter what the circumstances–what that really means, what it looks like in practice, how it conflicts with modern values, and how to put it into practice.
The book is thoughtful and helpful, with a good blend of vision and application. Swenson does a great job of breaking down the concept of contentment and giving it biblical, historical, and modern context.
While I can’t say that anything in the book was really new to me, the delivery forced me to examine some of the ways that our culture has impacted my perspective. It is really difficult to call out your own blindspots, so I always appreciate authors who can point to ways our milieu is in conflict with a biblical view.
One example would be the way we view success. Modern western sensibility dislikes the concept of contentment because it smacks of mediocrity and underachievement. But the modern alternative is restless discontent, where nothing is ever enough and we churn around “relentlessly striving after dissatisfactions we can scarcely name.” Swenson shows that biblical contentment is not about sloth, but about taking a right view of work as something we do to the best of our ability, but balanced by the view that we owe our success and every good thing to God, whose provision is trustworthy.
{Read my full review here}
The book is thoughtful and helpful, with a good blend of vision and application. Swenson does a great job of breaking down the concept of contentment and giving it biblical, historical, and modern context.
While I can’t say that anything in the book was really new to me, the delivery forced me to examine some of the ways that our culture has impacted my perspective. It is really difficult to call out your own blindspots, so I always appreciate authors who can point to ways our milieu is in conflict with a biblical view.
One example would be the way we view success. Modern western sensibility dislikes the concept of contentment because it smacks of mediocrity and underachievement. But the modern alternative is restless discontent, where nothing is ever enough and we churn around “relentlessly striving after dissatisfactions we can scarcely name.” Swenson shows that biblical contentment is not about sloth, but about taking a right view of work as something we do to the best of our ability, but balanced by the view that we owe our success and every good thing to God, whose provision is trustworthy.
{Read my full review here}
May 10, 2020
As a Medical Doctor, Futurist, and Christian "numbers-guy," Dr. Swenson offers a unique point of view on the topic of Contentment. He gave several perscriptions per chapter to the discontent in our lives and hearts, that required meditating and chewing on for a while before reading on. This was a very well-written, relevent book and I'm sure I will pick it up and read again.
September 20, 2023
Great read for someone wanting to improve their level of contentment
Good read. Well written. Good thoughts about contentment. Now I just need to do the hard work and apply some of what I read. I would recommend this book if you are a person looking to feel more content and live a more peace-filled life.
Good read. Well written. Good thoughts about contentment. Now I just need to do the hard work and apply some of what I read. I would recommend this book if you are a person looking to feel more content and live a more peace-filled life.
May 30, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up. This book serves as a wonderful introduction to biblical contentment. It was a little too repetitive for my liking, making me wish it was a tad shorter, but I still found enough passages to highlight and reflect on.
April 2, 2025
Overall this book was uplifting and guided me toward the goal of contentment. For those, like me, who struggle with the glass half empty, I’d recommend this to guide in pursuing the glass half full outlook on life. It’s a much better option, and contentment is a big part of that.
May 31, 2020
This is a wonderful book. So practical and surprising at times. I’ve returned to this work over and over again.
June 25, 2020
A wonderful book
This book addressed contentment from several vantage points that all pointed to God. Well written, this book is an engaging and easy read.
This book addressed contentment from several vantage points that all pointed to God. Well written, this book is an engaging and easy read.
December 27, 2023
A gift from my uncle - thanks, Scott! - but not my thing.
Abandoned on page 35.
Abandoned on page 35.
April 19, 2025
Contentment - practical and biblical
Great and easy read. Simple yet practical truths to apply. Great illustrations and lots of interesting facts. Read it now!
Great and easy read. Simple yet practical truths to apply. Great illustrations and lots of interesting facts. Read it now!
February 3, 2024
This was my second read of 2024! A beautiful book that helps me reflect on my contentment level! Comparison is something that easily creeps into our lives and lands us feeling discontent and full of lack and yet we have a creator who made us to live lacking nothing! We have his fullness!! Great beginning to the year!
September 22, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book. Having contentment doesn't mean that we shouldn't have spiritual life goals, responsibilities, or family issues, it just means that we need to continue to have fruitful priorities by focusing our work towards God.
I agree that a lot of people, especially in high-performance careers, overwork themselves, making self-care and contentment the last priority. While I understand that the bottom line is important, sometimes we need to understand why we're here on Earth and embrace our purpose for God's purposes. If we worked all the time to earn more, which is a great goal for the company, but neglect our children and our families, it can affect our spiritual walk with God. Swenson urges people to find lasting calm by being content with what we have and not thinking that we need to show friends, family, and neighbors that we're a "successful" millennial; many parents worry about their child's lives these days because they haven't left the nest such as having a fulfilling career, having a significant other, getting married, having children, and having a life independent from their parents' help. It's understandable. Ultimately, as Christ-followers of all ages, we need to rely on God for our future.
I believe in the value of work. Sometimes, we need to instill strong, healthy boundaries instead of allowing ourselves to get distracted with unfruitful activities such as enabling people with busybody behavior. I think that being a busybody has roots in the "entertainment" industry, which teaches and tempts people to value amusement and pride by meddling into people's misfortunes, mistakes, or suffering. People seek significance; if people seek God, He already considers them significant! Priorities matter in the long run. Time will never come back. The time that we spend here on Earth is short, so we might as well use it to glorify God.
The book offers some challenging Biblical truth (ESPECIALLY for our comfortable lives): suffering for God isn't always His punishment but from our sins or other people's sins against us, circumstances NEVER define us, examining our intentions, seeking God first/rejecting potential idols, and having a Christ-like humility. Is it a guarantee that we won't meet negative situations? No, not at all. The more that I seek God, the more that I see that we must be set apart and not be conformed by the patterns of this world. Challenging, but it's worth it.
I agree that a lot of people, especially in high-performance careers, overwork themselves, making self-care and contentment the last priority. While I understand that the bottom line is important, sometimes we need to understand why we're here on Earth and embrace our purpose for God's purposes. If we worked all the time to earn more, which is a great goal for the company, but neglect our children and our families, it can affect our spiritual walk with God. Swenson urges people to find lasting calm by being content with what we have and not thinking that we need to show friends, family, and neighbors that we're a "successful" millennial; many parents worry about their child's lives these days because they haven't left the nest such as having a fulfilling career, having a significant other, getting married, having children, and having a life independent from their parents' help. It's understandable. Ultimately, as Christ-followers of all ages, we need to rely on God for our future.
I believe in the value of work. Sometimes, we need to instill strong, healthy boundaries instead of allowing ourselves to get distracted with unfruitful activities such as enabling people with busybody behavior. I think that being a busybody has roots in the "entertainment" industry, which teaches and tempts people to value amusement and pride by meddling into people's misfortunes, mistakes, or suffering. People seek significance; if people seek God, He already considers them significant! Priorities matter in the long run. Time will never come back. The time that we spend here on Earth is short, so we might as well use it to glorify God.
The book offers some challenging Biblical truth (ESPECIALLY for our comfortable lives): suffering for God isn't always His punishment but from our sins or other people's sins against us, circumstances NEVER define us, examining our intentions, seeking God first/rejecting potential idols, and having a Christ-like humility. Is it a guarantee that we won't meet negative situations? No, not at all. The more that I seek God, the more that I see that we must be set apart and not be conformed by the patterns of this world. Challenging, but it's worth it.
December 15, 2013
This book was exactly what I needed to read at the point in life that I am at right now, and I believe that many people would glean wisdom from reading it, no matter what stage in life they are in. I have always had a rather hesitant feeling towards the idea of contentment...that perhaps, by being "content", I would end up apathetic and settling for less. However, the portrayal of true contentment which Dr. Swenson provides is a much grittier one than I've encountered before. Swenson talks about contentment in the midst of happiness and in the midst of suffering, and he provides real life examples as well as extremely practical applications of his ideas.
Also, I was incredibly thankful to find that this was not just another feel-good self-help book full of pop-psychology or sappy "God loves you, so you should be happy!" lines. Swenson goes much deeper than this. As a futurist (one who researches and makes insights as to the future of society), he is not only concerned for the role of contentment in the individual's life, but in society as a whole. He provides many statistical and sociological examples. As such I was very relieved to find this book so comprehensive in its examination of such an important virtue--one that is by and large missing in many people's lives today.
Also, I was incredibly thankful to find that this was not just another feel-good self-help book full of pop-psychology or sappy "God loves you, so you should be happy!" lines. Swenson goes much deeper than this. As a futurist (one who researches and makes insights as to the future of society), he is not only concerned for the role of contentment in the individual's life, but in society as a whole. He provides many statistical and sociological examples. As such I was very relieved to find this book so comprehensive in its examination of such an important virtue--one that is by and large missing in many people's lives today.
November 25, 2016
Richard A. Swenson, MD deals with a subject which many people desire but it often seems to be in short supply, contentment. He shows us how to be contented regardless of circumstances and uses many interesting facts and stories. The appendix of the book alone provides amazing facts and statistics. One of the stories is about a doctor, when diagnosed with terminal cancer, closed his office the next day and never went back to a hospital. He did not take chemo or the usual treatments but simply enjoyed his remaining time at home. And it was pointed out that many doctors do not take the invasive treatments that their patients take!
July 11, 2017
Progress says consume more faster and faster but we were not designed to live as we are currently living. This book takes a fresh look at a concept that had gone out of style. It explores the true nature of contentment and how it is not to be found in money or the things that money can buy. If you've ever felt like life was not delivering to you what it should, this book is for you. If you have someone in your life that is striving for more to the point of obsession, then this book is for you. A life if contentment and simplicity is not without it's sacrifices but it is more than worth it.
September 22, 2013
Good. I found the discussion on contentment to be very helpful and informative. I appreciated his Biblical approach to it and have used the content numerous times in conversation and presentation since reading it.
February 19, 2016
Pretty great little book.
March 21, 2016
Very helpful.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews