Learning to be Content

When is enough, enough?

Will you ever get around to it?

Is it our right to have “a life”?

Does anyone ever “arrive” at their destination in life?

 

The answers to the above questions are tough.  Our culture urges us to increase and accumulate.  We’re pressed to accomplish a wide range of tasks.  Success is measured in the status level one attains (and maintains).  The aim of too many is to retire happy; to rest on their laurels; to enjoy the golden years (and have enough money to finance a life of leisure).

 

Unfortunately, all of the goals our culture pushes us to achieve never really satisfy.  There never really is enough.  With so many people and projects vying for our time, important things usually get set aside.  The “life” we desire continues to stay one step out of reach.  And the “destination” changes too often. 

 

Why is this so?  Is it because God doesn’t want us to enjoy life?  Is it that He doesn’t want us to feel fulfilled?  No . . . it’s because these empty aspirations only distract us from true contentment and fulfillment; they’re matters that really don’t matter (Ecclesiastes 1 & 2).

 

Happy, contented people are satisfied with life and are finally at ease because they have quit asking the pointless questions above and have learned to be concerned with just attaining and maintain a relationship with their Creator.  They’ve learned that the things that matter in life can only be found with Him (Philippians 4:11-13 - notice the word “learned”).  Satisfaction in life comes as a result of a life-long journey of trial and error; of striving and coming up empty; of assessing and reassessing priorities.

 

Just understand a few simple truths that hopefully will head you down the right path to true joy in life:

            (1) God really does want what is best for you. 

            (2) He will work in your life to bring good things about (on His time-table). 

            (3) The more in-tune your life is with His, the easier it will be to see what He’s doing. 

 

So trust Him, let Him work in and through you, and just concern yourself with handling the challenges that each day brings (Matthew 6:33-34). 

Doug