It’s totally normal for a person to experience discontentment during different seasons in their lives. Today I’d like to share with you what has helped me and how the Bible has encouraged me in this area, specifically.
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What does contentment mean, exactly?
You may be asking yourself what it means to find contentment. I would define contentment as a feeling free from anxiety, one that finds joy and peace in everything. 1 Timothy 6 gives us great biblical insight on what this means.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
1 timothy 6:6-10
In the above passages Paul gives us a warning against wanting “things” aside from the food on our tables and clothes on our backs that have been given to us.
More wisdom from His Word
In Hebrews 13:5, God reminds us that “He will never leave us nor forsake us.”
This passage brings so much joy and contentment as I remember that my relationship with Him is bigger than any earthly desire. I have to trust His words to know that His words are as good as done, and they are! He never does leave us, praise God for that!
If God is with us in EVERY season, then why do we still want more than that? The answer is simple, because of our sinful human nature. We cannot help but covet things that our neighbor has.
God is enough, period. Once I was reminded that He is in fact always with me, it made me feel silly that I was wanting such selfish desires. I am so beyond grateful that He promises to never forsake us.
Google would define the word “forsake” as abandon, renounce, or give up. I do believe this is an accurate description of what the word forsake means in the above passage. God will not give up on us, even when we fall into this same sin of wanting what we don’t have.
What God has taught me in finding contentment
No life is perfect, though it is easy to forget this with the many desirous things flaunted about today. I know for me, I desire things that I think God would say are “good” desires. The truth is, they are still desires outside of my many blessings, nonetheless.
Some examples are: being a mother of many children, having land to become self sufficient, and creating an inviting space in my home with “things.”
There was a time that these became unhealthy desires of mine. I let them come in between my marriage and cause hurt within it because I wanted them so badly. I even put these desires before my desire for God and His will for me.
Satan wants nothing more than for us to want more than God has given each of us. Of course, I am not an expert but I have been taught a lesson in this realm that could be of value for you to hear. I have often times found that if I surround myself with the needy or less fortunate than I, it causes me to feel so horrible about my thought process and worldly desires.
God uses the lowly to glorify Himself
God uses the weak and the poor for his glory, not just the rich and more fortunate. I have definitely been humbled in those times that God opens my eyes to my worldly desires.
Specifically, I got excited about moving out-of-state to a place where we could afford to have all of our worldly desires: The type of house we wanted on some land to create a little homestead for ourselves is what I wanted SO badly.
My husband, lovingly, pointed out my sin and asked me to pray. The way that I know my thoughts and desires were not of God is, that I felt anger toward my husband for telling me that! I let a silly, selfish desire drive a wedge between my husband and I.
In Matthew, we are told that “What God has put together, let no man separate.” I was separating us! Oh the pain that caused me, which could have been avoided if I had more self control over my desires and saw my many blessings.
How contentment got easier
It took God bringing me down and humbling me to see that I have been blessed abundantly. I’ve been given a beautiful family, home, and church family to serve in. As soon as I realized this, I was able to find contentment and joy in each season more quickly.
Knowing that each season is for but a moment helps me to find contentment as well. When I serve the less-fortunate than I, God always humbles me through it.
A great way to see your many blessings is to surround yourself with others that don’t have that same blessing. We don’t often remember all of the good things God gives us because we become comfortable and they go unnoticed.
Get Practical: A Plan for Contenment
A practical way that you can find contentment in every season is to write blessings down.
Grab a pen and paper, then begin thinking of all the things God has given you. Your list will begin to flow right off of your page! There are so many eternal and earthly blessings that God gives His people. This should over take any feeling we could possibly have of discontentment or covetousness.
Need a journal? Check out this Ask, Seek, Knock journal from A Book Well Loved.
Once you do this I think you will find that it is easier for those blessings to come to mind when you find yourself wanting. I pray you would be encouraged and blessed as you go on with the reminder that there can be joy and contentment in every season if we just look to God and remember Him.
