The Journey

IF only I had "blank", then I would be happy.

I don't think there is a person on the planet that has not at some point struggled with thoughts and feelings of discontent. I know I have. But there is something better than having the restless desire and craving for something we don't have. It's called contentment. In a culture that is always telling you to do what feels right and go after what you want, it can be difficult to find that. Media and people are constantly bombarding us with whispers of attaining the perfect. But what has God called us to attain?

"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.-1 Timothy 6:6-7"

Greg Spencer who wrote an article on contentment offers this insight, "As you've thought about contentment, you've probably wondered how to push for excellence without being defeated by it. How can we keep some control over the chaos of our lives without gripping it so tightly that all we have is a fist to shake at God when things don't go our way? My definition attempts to address these tensions: Contentment is a hope that frees us to pursue the unsatisfied life in a satisfying way."

Living the "unsatisfied life" can mean knowing that only God is the only thing that brings true contentment and not anything this world has to offer...even good things. While it's true that God gives good gifts and loves to give them, if He chose to take them all away, where would the state of our happiness fall? Spencer also, reminds us that a key to contentment is "the art of dying well".

"The art of dying well reminds us to surrender. We can express our trust in God's goodness by accepting that THIS IS MY LIFE. Not my past. Not my future. THIS is my house, not the one my neighbor has. THIS is my spouse, not the one on TV or the Internet. THIS is the child I was given, the one with the strong will, the one who inspires heartache. When I feel overwhelmed grading papers and exams, I try to surrender by telling myself, "This is the life I've chosen." Sometimes this one line settles me into a more contented state. Part of surrender is "detachment." Although the word itself might be a little off-putting, the idea is as liberating as they come. Thomas Merton says it well: "We must learn to be detached from the results of our own activity." Detachment does not mean that we shouldn't care about what happens; it means that we are responsible for faithfulness, not for success. The art of dying well reminds us that a "turning toward" is also a "turning away from." When we face one thing, we turn our backs to another."

When I turn toward discontent in something I don't have, I am turning away from contentment in what I've been given. I like how Spencer reminds us that we are responsible for faithfulness, not success. This helps calm my heart in knowing when I may want something and it doesn't turn out the way I hoped, I can be content in knowing that I was faithful in the task and that the outcome was God's best for me. He will always give us His best, even if we can't see it at the time. Every detail of our lives can be entrusted to the sovereign and capable hands of our God. I pray that I will be able to continue to grow in contentment, knowing that if all beneath me falls away, I know that I still have the only thing that really matters. The road to learning contentment can be a long and hard one, but there is joy in the journey and eternal satisfaction at the end.

Philippians 4:11 "for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content."