Contentment

Hey Guys!

I hope June is kicking off well for everyone. The World Cup is almost here! June 12th (I am really hoping that I don’t have to work). So I am trying to become more steady with my posts. Like tonight, I was going to watch Spike Lee’s “School Daze,” on Netflix and then I thought to myself ‘Enni, why not post something?’ And here I am!

Small talk aside, I want to share some things that have been on my heart. These things stem from areas in my spiritual life that I really NEED to grow in. I think that God has been working on building these characteristics that I lack. For the past couple of months I have been praying for God to teach me how to be selfless, faithful, content, and patient. These four things are major stumbling blocks for me because I am naturally a vain, non-trusting, complainant, and impatient person. Frankly, I really do not like that I harbor such characteristics and I want to make some changes. I am not going to give a whole spiel about how I am trying to work on ALL four areas of my life. Today I want to focus on finding contentment.

Psalm 37:4 (NIV): Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I am the type of person who complains when nothing goes the way that I expect it to. Which is ALL THE TIME. In my life my expectations rarely equal my reality and you would think by now I would have learned how to go with the flow. But nope, I keep on complaining. I always see everything as ‘sucky’ and ‘the worst.’ In my studies I have been trying to understand what it means to be content; how does one reach contentment?
I looked up the definition of the word in the dictionary: it meant to reach a state of happiness or satisfaction. I did a ‘side-eye’ at the word ‘happiness’ because I consider it to be such a fleeting and shallow feeling and contentment is more than that. After I looked to the bible and I got what I think of as the true definition of the word. Looking at Psalm 37:4, contentment means to find satisfaction in God. To submit to God’s will for your life and know that He has everything under control. Go along for the ride and enjoy all the bumps along the way.

It is a difficult feat to achieve, contentment, but that is why I pray to God to help me. I try to catch myself when I am complaining about work (to have a job is blessing) or sharing my faith or having an interest in someone I never thought I would have an interest in. I need to remember that God puts certain seasons in my life at the perfect time. Instead of complaining, I need to be satisfied that He is working toward showing me amazing things in my life. And in your lives as well. One thing that I have learned is that God makes everything happen to YOU for a specific reason. And it may take ten years for you to see the results or reap obvious benefits, but man is it always worth it.

Luke 9:23-24 (NIV): Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

What are areas in your life that you are praying to grow in?
How do you find contentment in tough or annoying situations?