16
Mar '19
Being Happy Where You Are
16
Mar '19
Contentment. Ahhhhhhhh, yes! {Sigh of happiness}. Right? (Hmmmmmmm….)
Sometimes we really have to think about this whole “contentment” thing and what it means to us, and what it means to us with God as our Leader. Admittedly, this has been a hard subject for me at many points in my life. I’ve had many seasons where I’d just so badly want to be content, and would think that once I had or attained something, I would finally find solace, only to find that once I had it, I wasn’t content at all. If anything, I was the exact opposite of content – confusion and grief could’ve been my “motto” in these times where I thought I would be content, when I actually wasn’t.
Was it my fault that I wasn’t content?? Was it someone else’s fault? Or was it God just allowing me to go through a tough season of my life to learn some real lessons to get to a season where I’m finally, really content with life as it is? Period. Not “When I attain……….”, not “When I get……..” I’m talking right now. Content RIGHT NOW.
To be clear, I haven’t always felt content. I, like I think many people may feel, often felt that happiness was just around the corner. Just after I attained something, just after I did this or after I accomplished that.. and sometimes we put our expectation of being content on someone else – so we feel we’ll be content just after someone else did this, or did that. What I’ve found in the past is that what I wanted didn’t make me content – I just had something I didn’t have before, but it still didn’t fill me. I’ve also learned that no human can make me content. I’ve had to get to a place where I’m ready and filled BEFORE someone or something comes along, so whether that goal or accomplishment is or isn’t met, or that relationship works out, or maybe it doesn’t – it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, because I’M ALREADY FILLED with the contentment that only our precious Lord can provide.
Sometimes we really have to think about this whole “contentment” thing and what it means to us, and what it means to us with God as our Leader. Admittedly, this has been a hard subject for me at many points in my life. I’ve had many seasons where I’d just so badly want to be content, and would think that once I had or attained something, I would finally find solace, only to find that once I had it, I wasn’t content at all. If anything, I was the exact opposite of content – confusion and grief could’ve been my “motto” in these times where I thought I would be content, when I actually wasn’t.
Was it my fault that I wasn’t content?? Was it someone else’s fault? Or was it God just allowing me to go through a tough season of my life to learn some real lessons to get to a season where I’m finally, really content with life as it is? Period. Not “When I attain……….”, not “When I get……..” I’m talking right now. Content RIGHT NOW.
To be clear, I haven’t always felt content. I, like I think many people may feel, often felt that happiness was just around the corner. Just after I attained something, just after I did this or after I accomplished that.. and sometimes we put our expectation of being content on someone else – so we feel we’ll be content just after someone else did this, or did that. What I’ve found in the past is that what I wanted didn’t make me content – I just had something I didn’t have before, but it still didn’t fill me. I’ve also learned that no human can make me content. I’ve had to get to a place where I’m ready and filled BEFORE someone or something comes along, so whether that goal or accomplishment is or isn’t met, or that relationship works out, or maybe it doesn’t – it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, because I’M ALREADY FILLED with the contentment that only our precious Lord can provide.
Paul gives thanks for his contentment in Philippians 4:11–12 NLT: “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little”.
Maybe it’s easy for you to be content and you don’t see the struggle – or maybe you’re someone who has to work at it. I’ve had to work at it – I’m still a work in progress in many areas, but I have found so many wonderful things in life once I decided to allow myself to be content with what I have, content with where I’m at in life, and most of all, content with God and His provisions He provides for me daily. I’m learning that being content isn’t quite as hard as I once thought it to be.
I’m content with loving life just the way it is right now. And when it changes? I’ll be content then, too.
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*Dena*
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We were just discussing that here at home. Being content with where we are and what God has blessed us with is so important.
Oh wow! God is timely, isn’t He!? 🙂 Even when we don’t know it.. He does!