Speaker content to ease discontentment

On Nov. 14, Mrs. Whittam -- a nurse, social worker and stay-at-home mother -- will lead a workshop titled "Finding Contentment and Meaning in Life," sponsored by the diocesan Consultation Center in Albany.

While she doesn't claim to have instant answers to becoming content with life, she can relate to people who look for them.

'If only...'

Then she discovered that "contentment does not come from the finished product, but rather from the fact that God is not finished with me yet. I am a work in progress."

Through devotional books by writers like Oswald Chambers and a personal struggle to get closer to God, Mrs. Whittam found more contentment in her own life. She plans to share that discovery in her first-ever workshop.

Spiritual ease

She believes true contentment can be reached only through submission to God's will. Mrs. Whittam, who attends a Methodist church in Coeymans Hollow, encourages others to "stay grounded in God through prayer, praise and Bible study."

Some of those elements will be included in her workshop. Mrs. Whittam plans to talk about what contentment is physically versus what makes people content emotionally and spiritually. She will draw from both her own journey and the words of self-help gurus like Chambers, Stephen Covey (author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People") and the leaders of a group called Women of Faith.

She will ask participants to define what will make them content, from better jobs to retirement, and then demonstrate that God's plan is "really bigger than that."

The leader also plans time for prayer, noting: "I want people to spend time with God. It's not just me lecturing, `This is what you need to go home and do.'"

Timely event

"There's all the more reason [to sign up] now that our country as a whole is drawing closer to God," she stated. "If people need help doing that, that's what this program is for: tapping into His strength, His courage, His wisdom."

Mrs. Whittam especially hopes to meet people looking for quick answers to finding contentment, so that she can help them find their own path to God.

"A lot of people think God is 'out there' somewhere, but each of us is so important to Him!" she exclaimed. "I just want to share what I've learned about my own personal journey with the Lord."

("Finding Contentment and Meaning in Life" will be held Nov. 14, 7-9 p.m., in the diocesan Pastoral Center in Albany. Cost is $12. For information, call the Consultation Center at 489-4431.)

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