Contentment

There is no situation that can’t be made worse by worrying about it. It seems like most of the time our worries and doubts are so much more detrimental to our wellbeing than the realization of our worst fears ever could be. Isn’t sacrificing your peace of mind, your happiness, and your freedom at least as bad as failing a test or saying something stupid, or whatever else might befall us? And how often do our worst fears actually come true? And what does worrying really do to prevent them anyway? If you think about it, most of the time the worries that we let consume and paralyze us are only a big deal because, for whatever reason, we decide that they are, whether that’s because society tells us so or because we like self-pity (which is quite frankly a form of pride. When we say “this sucks,” don’t we really mean “I deserve better than this?”). The mind is incredibly powerful, and most of the time we abuse it to fill our pride by pitying ourselves, which saps away our contentment. The idea of controlling our mood is so frowned upon, though, because we like to deflect blame: “My parents make me so mad,” or “That test was so hard.”

But every time you point the finger, three more point back. Samuel Johnson said, “He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.” If we could just look past all our masks and defenses and see our brokenness, our ineptitude, and our failings, and be okay with who we are because we know our God loves us anyway, we would find the secret to contentment that Paul talks about: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:12-13).

The best part is that without worry, it becomes possible to become what you worried about being. Talking to that girl is no problem when your opinion of yourself isn’t hinging on her opinion of you. Giving that speech is easy and even fun when you don’t have to worry about what people will think of you. Writing potent little essays from the bottom of your heart and sharing them with the world becomes a possibility without the chains of having to perform to a certain standard to be content. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”

Many of you are probably thinking “Yeah, right…there’s no way I can control my mood in this or that situation.” But in the midst of the horrible darkness of the Holocaust, Anne Frank found a light: “I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” Paul told the Philippians, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7). Sometimes all we need is a little perspective. Every plant needs sunshine to live and thrive, but without a little rain it wouldn’t grow.


“So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key.” ~ The Eagles, "Already Gone"

“Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious.” ~ Bill Meyer

“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” ~ Hugh Downs

“The Kingdom of Heaven is not a place, but a state of mind." ~ John Burroughs