Do you ever catch yourself wishing your life away? Not in a way where you wish your life was over, but in a way where you aren’t content with what life has given you now? Maybe it’s by always wanting the “new things” the world has to offer. A newer car. A newer phone. The latest fashion. Or maybe it’s not materialistic at all. Maybe you’re wishing for that next step of your relationship to finally happen. When will he finally propose? When will we ever be financially ready to have a baby? Or another baby? Or a bigger house? Why is it so hard to just stay content where we are? Isn’t that what Jesus calls us to do?
I struggle with this more than I realize. It starts out small, one day looking at something someone else has on Instagram and feeling that little pull in my heart towards whatever that may be. For me, I struggle with being content where I am in my relationship – no matter what my relationship status is. When I was single all I wanted was to have a boyfriend, now that I have a boyfriend, all I want is to get married. So it starts out small, I see someone else’s blog who seems to have a happy marriage and I start desiring that. But the longer I dwell on their marriage and wanting it the more I find myself discontent with what I have now. It’s like I can’t focus on enjoying what I have because I feel that if I had more or something else then I’d be able to enjoy that more. It’s frustrating too because I want to be happy with where I am and I want to wait for God’s timing so why does this have to be so difficult?
Just this morning I was sitting on my deck and I felt God answer this question and it was only then that I realized that I had done it again. I had been desiring to push forward and go ahead of him rather than just sit and love where He has me.
So I made a list, for myself and maybe this will help someone else out too – of ways to be content. Ways to make sure that I can keep my heart in check and not run ahead of where He has me. Because my fear is that once God allows me to finally have whatever I think will make me happier then I will just set my heart on something else and continue to strive and desire for that and be discontent all over again.
- Seek His kingdom first- when we put God’s will over our life first, He promises to work everything else out for us and we don’t have to worry about earthly things because He tells us that it’s His job to provide that for us. If you are seeking God’s will for your life then what you’re experiencing is God’s best for you.
- Dwell on the good things you have- When we wake up with a grateful heart, it’s hard to keep wanting more because we’ll be too busy enjoying the things we do have. Every good gift comes down from God.
- Remember this life is short and temporary- We’re only here for a short period of time when you think about how long eternity is. I don’t want to be someone who is striving for the next thing when it’s all going to be taken from me eventually anyway.
- Spend less time on social media- Every once and a while I try to take a social media break because I can feel it in my heart that it can be where my discontentment comes from. There are even statistics that show how the more time you spend on social media, the more unhappy or discontent you tend to be. It’s hard not to want what others have when everybody posts about how great their lives are and how happy they are that they now have whatever it is that they’ve got.
I’m starting to notice that the closer I get to the next season of my life is the time I struggle the most with not being content. When it’s so close but so far away, it’s hard to not to wish for the next thing. And I don’t think think that it’s bad to just wish for something else. I think it’s good to keep striving for things and reach our potential but I think the problem comes in when we start to want something more than we’re enjoying what we have at the moment. I think it’s important to always remember that everything we have is God’s and that even if we feel God is leading us towards something to allow Him to work and not hold anything too tightly.
I named this post “You Have Already Arrived” because if you’re a Christian then you already have it all. Jesus should be our biggest desire and we should set our heart on striving to love and be more like Him, not wanting and wishing for more things. The things we’re wishing for will never truly satisfy like only He can anyway. You’re already here, there’s nothing more that you need to live a complete or happy life. God’s already given you His best.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. 1 Timothy 6:6-7
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desire of your heart. – Psalm 37:4
