Today I had a wonderful lunch with a new friend. With our smart phones set aside, we had one of those get real about life conversations. The word contentment fell out of my mouth and my friend promptly asked striaight up about how I live my life content. My response came quickly and honestly with an absolute disclaimer: I often find myself driving down the mental road of comparision and discontent.
Bottom line, contentment is a daily choice. It is a choice that must always be coupled with a heart of gratitude toward Jesus.
I encourage you to take a moment and think about times where you feel discontent or stuck in the rut of comparison. Maybe you look at all of your friends getting married and wonder when it will be your turn. Maybe you look at other women who look super cute in that swimsuit and wish you, too, had that kind of body. Maybe you are dissatisfied with your job and feel under appreciated. During those times of discontent, did you ever stop to think about all the blessings in your life? Or where the “what ifs” or “why not me” or the “when’s my chance” blocking your view of the good things in your life? All of these questions of discontent rob us of seeing God’s goodness everyday.
By blessings and goodness I’m not just talking about tangible ways God gives us gifts. Though He often chooses to pour into our lives physical blessings, what truly fills our hearts desire for contentment are the intangible ways that God expresses His love for us. Lately, I’ve chosen contentment by intentionally setting my heart focus on who God is and who He is to me…
He is my Abba Father, loving and covering me with protection.
He is generous with His mercy; forgiving me when I go astray.
He is my Creator who took great care in shaping and forming me…I must respect His creation by caring for myself.
He is all powerful and nothing in this world surprises Him. No matter how life shakes up with drama, God is my firm foundation.
So as I reflect on my answer to my friend about contentment, I realize that no matter the “what if,” “why not me,” “when’s my turn?” that I’m often tempted to dwell upon, there are always greater thoughts of gratitude and reflections on God’s intangible blessings that fill that discontent hole in my heart. It is my daily choice to say, THANK YOU and turn that discontentment into a heart that embraces God’s glory and goodness in my life.
What are your thoughts on contentment? How do you battle comparison and dissatisfaction?
Leave a comment…let’s chat!
Yes, I struggle with all of this. Everyone always says we have to be thankful like to have a gratitude journal and stuff. I’ve tried that and it doesn’t seem to help. It feels forced and like a chore. I don’t know the answer, ask God for a greater heart of gratitude?
I definitely struggle with comparasin and when will my time come. In general I feel like I’ve been the person who’s been tossed to the side and always looks at but passed over. I wonder why am I not good enough.
I hear ya, Tonya. It is when we develop the heart habit of thankfulness and seeking God alone that we realize that we have all that we need. We are all that we are meant to be when we live right in the center of His presence. Comparing ourselves to others will be a non-issue because we are completely fulfilled right in God’s presence and right where He has us in life. Hope this helps! Hugs!
Contentment makes me think of submission, when my heart is NOT being content. Makes me think of fighting it, and that I need to bring my emotions as well as my thoughts into line (take captive every thought), and lay them on the altar. But I LOVE that we can CHOOSE to be THANKFUL, and that contentment flows from that a little more easily. :) God really is GOOD… do we believe it?
1. God is always in control. (Psalm 22:27-28, Psalm 115:3)
Temptation: Well, if He controls all things, and I’m still feeling bad about something, maybe He didn’t make the right choice in what He chose to allow.
2. God is always wise. (Romans. 16:27, Psalm 147:5)
Temptation: Well, if He’s in control, and He knows what He’s doing and choosing to allow, maybe He just doesn’t care about how it affects me.
3. God is always good. (Psalm 136:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 31:19, Hosea 3:5, John 3:16)
The truth is humbling though, if our hearts are not right. The truth is: I don’t deserve ANYTHING. Well, I deserve to spend an eternity in hell… that’s what my sin got me (PRAISE JESUS He took my blame and I’m no longer headed there! Such mercy!). I don’t deserve money. I don’t deserve a “dream job.” I don’t deserve nice things. I don’t deserve a husband, or a boyfriend, or whatever else I do or don’t have. Our culture sells us a lie (that we don’t even realize we’re buying), but I think entitlement creeps in. It disguises itself too! I don’t think of myself as acting or feeling entitled. But anytime I start to place my hope in anything short of Christ, and let it run a little while, I start expecting it. Sometimes I even start getting formulaic about it… “If I were just a better Christian, or if I pray to God more, or read my Bible, or claim this verse… THEN this thing might happen for me!” Not so. At least not in that way. Sometimes God does bring these GOOD things into our lives (for His glory and our joy), but we as Christians have to actively rid our minds of this idea of deserving certain things. That is Satan, and his design is to disappoint, and get us down.
Yes – it’s easier said than done. It takes practice. No matter how many times we mess up, we can’t give up! Keep giving it back to God… your thoughts, your dreams, your disappointments, your plans… we can’t say for sure how long He intends for us to wrestle with any one struggle. We are being refined, and fire is always hot. But our HOPE in our trials and strengthening is that we are being made LIKE CHRIST! This is more valuable than any of the things we could refer to in the previous paragraph. Some of those things might even hinder us from some of this valuable growth.
Again, it’s not always bad things that we’re desiring. God has created plenty of GOOD things, that I may never have. But I am certain, and scripture tells me, so I will continue to preach it to my heart, that what I DO have is from God, and He is always good.
Take heart, dear Tonya! He is FOR you, not against you! :)
Dude!!! Preach it sister…amen and amen and amen!!! I love what you say about God is always good. Seeking out His presence and His goodness rather than the things He has for us will always keep us content. Thank you!!
Sarah thank you for allowing God to use you through this post. I have been struggling with contentment because if it is not one thing it is another. I have to choose to be happy no matter what.