My Word
When I think of being content, I think of feeling satisfied in the moment. This concept has been something that has not come naturally to me and, to be very honest, it's an issue that I have struggled with most of my adult life. However, I have never actually identified the issue as discontentment until recently. Usually during adolescence (maybe sooner for others) parents, teachers and friends begin talking about the future. I teach high school and on the very first day of school the 12th graders were already talking about graduation. Completing high school is a tremendous achievement and something that most of us long for while we are in high school because we have a preconceived notion about what the next chapter in our life looks like. I believe mostly it is the fantasy of the freedom college brings - no one telling us what to do! But then the reality of adulthood sets in and we have to make decisions on our own and then suddenly we are calling our parents begging them to tell us what to do.
This has become a vicious cycle in my life - constantly looking ahead or looking back and longing for the way things could be or the way things were. One of the biggest disappoints of my life was the day after my wedding. Not because I was not happily married, but because I had spent a year and a half planning a one day event and it was over in just a few hours. The planning of this wedding was stressful. My husband and I fought about gifts for the bridal party. My mom and I fought about chair covers (amongst other things) and I enjoyed very little of this time because, in my words, "I just want to be married"! The rehearsal dinner was a mess because it had been raining for days in Memphis and the room at the restaurant where we were serving our guest flooded - while we were there eating! I was mad about seating arrangements and the waitress was rude to my husband. I am pretty sure I cried and my sister had to take me out of the room and calm me down.
You know how people say that you will laugh about this later? It is so true in my life. The rehearsal dinner is probably one of the things my family and I have laughed about the most since I go married. But actually I think we are all laughing at how ridiculous I acted. Since then I have learned to laugh at myself A LOT more because I have come to realize that very few things in life will happen as planned. I have also learned that God actually has a pretty great plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11) and if I can trust Him, it is much easier to stay in the moment and be content exactly where I am because He doesn't give me the whole plan all at once.
Of course I think it is wise to think about the future and make plans. But where I always get stuck is spending too much time fantasizing about how much better or different or less difficult things will be in the next chapter. You know what I found out? The grass is not actually greener on the other side. There are dry patches and dead grass everywhere. Every season of life will bring a new set of challenges and embracing those challenges as an opportunity to learn something new has helped me stay in the moment and get everything I can out of it. Being content can be difficult if we are leading our own life. We are humans and we will disappoint ourselves because our motives have a tendency to satisfy only the flesh. God's plans bring contentment to the heart. He knows our desires, our gifts, our fears and even our sins and He also knows the whole plan. When I completely trust my Father and remember that He knows all, sees all and has everything under control then I enjoy the moments life brings without hesitation. My mom shared a version of Proverbs 3:5-6 with me once: "Trust in the Lord with all you heart and do not rely on what you think you know". For this type A, know-it-all, this scripture has allowed me to walk away from the pressure of having to know what the future holds, having to have life all figured out and simply being content now 💗.
This has become a vicious cycle in my life - constantly looking ahead or looking back and longing for the way things could be or the way things were. One of the biggest disappoints of my life was the day after my wedding. Not because I was not happily married, but because I had spent a year and a half planning a one day event and it was over in just a few hours. The planning of this wedding was stressful. My husband and I fought about gifts for the bridal party. My mom and I fought about chair covers (amongst other things) and I enjoyed very little of this time because, in my words, "I just want to be married"! The rehearsal dinner was a mess because it had been raining for days in Memphis and the room at the restaurant where we were serving our guest flooded - while we were there eating! I was mad about seating arrangements and the waitress was rude to my husband. I am pretty sure I cried and my sister had to take me out of the room and calm me down.
You know how people say that you will laugh about this later? It is so true in my life. The rehearsal dinner is probably one of the things my family and I have laughed about the most since I go married. But actually I think we are all laughing at how ridiculous I acted. Since then I have learned to laugh at myself A LOT more because I have come to realize that very few things in life will happen as planned. I have also learned that God actually has a pretty great plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11) and if I can trust Him, it is much easier to stay in the moment and be content exactly where I am because He doesn't give me the whole plan all at once.
Of course I think it is wise to think about the future and make plans. But where I always get stuck is spending too much time fantasizing about how much better or different or less difficult things will be in the next chapter. You know what I found out? The grass is not actually greener on the other side. There are dry patches and dead grass everywhere. Every season of life will bring a new set of challenges and embracing those challenges as an opportunity to learn something new has helped me stay in the moment and get everything I can out of it. Being content can be difficult if we are leading our own life. We are humans and we will disappoint ourselves because our motives have a tendency to satisfy only the flesh. God's plans bring contentment to the heart. He knows our desires, our gifts, our fears and even our sins and He also knows the whole plan. When I completely trust my Father and remember that He knows all, sees all and has everything under control then I enjoy the moments life brings without hesitation. My mom shared a version of Proverbs 3:5-6 with me once: "Trust in the Lord with all you heart and do not rely on what you think you know". For this type A, know-it-all, this scripture has allowed me to walk away from the pressure of having to know what the future holds, having to have life all figured out and simply being content now 💗.
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