I am a recovering:
- “God and people pleaser”.
- Control freak.
- Productivity hustler–at the expense of people.
I am learning to:
- Delight in God and step into all the rich blessings He pours out on me, instead of working to please Him and people
- Trust God’s leading by soaking in His word, spending time in prayer, and walking in faith that where He leads is good.
- Open my eyes (by His grace) to see all the ways He reaches down with His love to show me I am walking in obedience to Him.
- Surrender my idea of productivity to God, and trust that He is working in ways that I know nothing about.
- Trust that loving God and loving people. Obeying God and serving people, are the most important things on this earth (no matter how big or small these acts look to the onlooking world).
I am learning that these things foster contentment. I am learning the things that don’t appear to promise contentment and happiness in the worlds eyes, are actually the things that fill my heart with joy and peace. I have spent far too long chasing things that only weigh me down.
Here are a few things that I have relentlessly chased (maybe you can relate?):
- Measuring God’s unique call in my life at a given stage by the approval of people
- The obsession to not mess up God’s plan, to ruminate and worry about missing what God wants me to do
- The appearance of worthiness–the security of the outside eye that I matter
- The definition of success in culture’s eyes
- Pleasing God (in an unhealthy way)
- Work, no rest, I don’t want to be lazy
- Sadness–yes this sounds weird, but deep down I worried I shouldn’t be happy if I was doing God’s will. (I never outwardly thought this, rather it was a deep simmering inward struggle)
- Productivity–I can’t waste any single moment. Productivity=value and worth right?
- Fulfillment of dreams for fulfillment in my heart
But the problem with all this is nothing fosters contentment but God Himself. Did you know that the definition of contentment is: a state of happiness and satisfaction? As we look all around this broken world, we will always find something that threatens “happiness.” Wars, poverty, job loss, failed dreams, sick children, broken marriages, and relationship heartaches. None of us have a problem free life–as much as we run for it and desire it. So how can we foster contentment and happiness in everything? How do we truly know the will of God when there is so much confusion and brokenness surrounding us?
God has gently and lovingly been teaching me what true contentment and happiness looks like. I had to turn my eyes away from searching for it in status, relationships, and deep rooted heart lies. I found it in the unlikeliest of places: the free gifts God pours out on us, and the very simple but profound truth of the gospel.
God says in Matthew 10:8: “…Freely you have received, freely give.” What have we freely received as children of God?
- Mercy
- Love
- Forgivness
- Abundant life
- God’s delight
- Justification
- Sanctification
- Salvation
- Relationship with Him–His reassuring guidance
- SO MUCH MORE! Search the Scriptures, you will find God’s abundant richness all over.
As God slowly wiped my eyes clean from all the muck satan dimmed them with, I realized that contentment is found in God alone. We all intellectually know this, but do our hearts feel and believe it? Do we live like this is true? Have you freely received what God is offering you? Or are you only allowing God’s free gifts to seep into your heart through cracks from your brokenness; because satan tells you you are unworthy of God’s abundant riches??
Contentment does not come from people’s approval, status, comfort, success, or in relationships on earth. Contentment and happiness comes from walking in the will of God and trusting Him above all else.
How do we know the will of God? Deep down I think my heart knew contentment and happiness came from walking in the center of God’s will, but I was frantically and obsessively trying to find it. I was searching for it by desperately desiring anyone and everyone around me to confirm that I was walking in God’s will. I was running after it through prayers that God would just make me 100% sure. I was ruminating on it. Playing scenarios in my head about how exciting the direction God had me on was, while at the same time obsessing over all the what-ifs. I worried I was I was on the wrong path, and was really missing God’s will all together. I was so obsessively trying to find it, that I was missing the foundational truths of God’s will. What does scripture say is God’s will?
If you search for the phrase “the will of God” you will find these principles:
- Our sanctification- 1 Thessalonians 4:3
- Give thanks in EVERYTHING- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- Well doing: 1 Peter 2:15
Past that phrase, you will find these overarching principles:
- A repentant obedient heart (even if we get it wrong at first. We need action that follows God, not words alone)- Matthew 21:28-31
- Delight in God- Psalm 37:4
- Do everything with godly love- 1 Corinthians 13
- The two greatest commandments (Love God and love others)
Instead of obsessing over Gods will, we can simply look at these foundational things. Are we doing them? How can we continue to let God grow us in them?
From these foundational truths that God lays on every believer, He also calls us into unique roles as well. How do we discern them?
Romans 12:1-2 says: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
As we lean more and more into God by soaking in His work and spending time in prayer with Him, we will become more and more like Him. We will gain more and more understanding of what His will is uniquely for us because we will continually be renewed. The more we lift our lives up to Him in delight and love for Him, the more we will rely on Him and our deep trust that He is good, and He is there no matter what. The more we do this, the less we will anxiously chase after control and our own reasoning. It doesn’t happen over night, it is a CONSTANT renewing of our mind. A constant transforming into a more Christ-like person. The more we run into Him and freely receive all He gives, the more we will understand His perfect will. The more we run in the center of His will because we understand it more, the more happiness and contentment we will foster in our lives.
Happiness and contentment is not found in the comforts and things we dream up, it is in running and delighting in God and His will.
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