Have you ever thought about what it means to be content?
I have always thought of being content as something that needs to be achieved; something that has to be internal and something that is closely related to my career/family/education. Like somehow I will find contentment. That I will be able to look at where I am at and say "well, this is pretty good. I am content. I have a good spiritual life, a good family, a good job, I am pretty well off."
-and yet, what happens when I am ten-twenty years down the road working a job that I don't like and I am having problems with family? (hypathetically) Will i then say "well, I had big dreams, but thats what they were...dreams. Yeah I was gonna be a teacher. Live by the ocean, help students grow with the Lord, and be a Great guy, but I am not. Im just a dude who is stuck in this shitty situation. I can't do anything about it now." ?
What if contentment is a search?
What if being content didn't mean having what I want/need (ie: same criteria as above)?
-I am open minded now, but I am young...what happens if I am open minded and old?
If I stop dreaming/looking/searching/driving toward something, can I be content?
It seems to me that contentment is searching for more...continually digging deeper. Essentially, not being content. Wow, hows that for a thought.
We might actually be more content when we are not content.
2 comments:
I don't think true contentment is contingent on our circumstances. Paul said that he learned to be content whatever the circumstances. So your right, in that contentment won't come from having what you want/need. I believe that contentment is gifted to us by the Spirit. But being content does not mean being stagnant (as you have also pointed out). It's not like, "Okay, I'm content, so now I won't do anything. I'll just stay where I'm at." We still have to strive to further the Kingdom, but we should be satisfied with whatever circumstances God happens to give us while we are doing so.
I found you. You are right--you muse a lot...but that's good.
Sometimes I think we believe we're content when really, everything in our lives is going pretty well...no major problems at all. I know I feel that way at times. And we make contentment our goal rather than growth. I agree with what Kyle said about staying where we're at when we're content, and that can be a dangerous thing.
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