Before you read;

This post is about contentment. I recognize that there is so much suffering going on in the world and in our country right now and I do not take any of it lightly. This post is about how I personally have battled with the feeling of discontent and how I, myself, am trying to grow in the area of gratitude. If you are going through something terrible in your life, know that I am not telling you to simply be content. You are justified in your pain and feelings.

Have you ever heard people talking about their “word of the year?” Over the past few years, the topic of a word of the year has come up a lot in conversation. I’ve heard friends say things like, “I really don’t want to go but my word of the year is, ‘yes’ so I am going to attend.” The idea behind a word of the year is to choose a word that represents an area in your life where growth is needed. Examples I have heard before are; Yes, No, Pray, Listen, Love, Invite, etc. At the start of a new year you begin thinking of a word for yourself or praying for God to give you a word. I decided to give it a whirl this year and I very clearly knew that God had given me the word, “contentment.” Although I hate to admit it, I struggle HARD with contentment. Since January I have been doing what I can to improve my level of contentment in every area. I went to the Bible to begin my search. We see in Luke 12:34 that where we find our treasure (or things we most value) is where we will find our hearts. I had to think about what is most important to me in my life and if I was putting those things first. If I was filling my mind with things that truly matter, I would not have a heart full of want, jealousy, bitterness, or entitlement.

We live in a day in age where we are so used to instant gratification. For example, my children have never had cable tv. Since they were born, we have been using sources like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu for our tv viewing. The first time they ever watched a program on live tv, they flipped out when a commercial came on and they had to wait an extremely long 5 minutes for their program to come back. You would have thought that we took the remote and turned the tv off. They could not believe it was legal for their show to be taken hostage by these commercials! We also live in the age of Amazon prime (hallelu) where we can order something online and get it the next day! We are out of practice on how to be patient and how to be happy during the in between.

I would say that in our American culture it is extremely easy to find ourselves removed from the here and now. Examples: Coming up to a red light while driving and picking up our phones to make sure we haven’t missed any new notifications. Scrolling through social media instead of looking our children in the eyes when they speak to us. Keeping our phones on the dinner table during date night or when with friends. Have we forgotten how to be present? Can we no longer sit in silence for a couple of minutes while stopped at a stop light? With tools like Instagram and Pinterest we find ourselves scrolling through endless pictures of perfection and we can so easily lose our joy. We look around at our wardrobe, home, cars, and even the hair on our heads. Suddenly we feel extremely inadequate. Our minds go places that tell us, “If you spent more time trying to make money, you could pay for that car.” “What’s a little bit of credit card debt if it means happiness?” “If you were a good mom, your house would be as put together as theirs.” “Plenty of moms are able to get up at 5:00 am, dress to the 9’s every day AND have perfect hair and makeup. You should be able to do that too AND have a ripped body. These are the things I let creep into my mind and they rob me of my joy.

Social media can so easily become an addiction. I have heard other moms talk in a joking way about how Pinterest can become the housewife’s version of pornography. All kidding aside, Its so easy to find yourself stuck in the vortex of “the scroll” and realize you’ve been scrolling through pictures of perfect decor, perfect bodies, perfect wardrobes, and perfect lifestyles for HOURS. That is absolutely unhealthy and I know we are all victims of doing that here and there. The feelings I feel after the mindless hour(s) of scrolling social media, whether I notice these feelings or not, are inadequacy, anger, jealousy, and full of want.

I want to make sure I say that this post was not intended to bash social media. Pinterest has helped me find many a delicious recipe and instagram has connected me with groups of people who are putting out so much inspiration and goodness in this world. Facebook allows me to keep up with friends and family who live far away and gives us the opportunity to feel included in events we aren’t able to attend in person. Just like anything in life, too much of a good thing can be bad. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and for me personally, I was realizing that social media was bringing out my weaknesses.

Before choosing my word for the year in January, I took a long break from social media and realized how much happier I was without it. I was paying more attention to my kids and was more fulfilled in the life that I lead. I had been bending over backwards trying to make it as a social media influencer (which I will talk about more in another post) and I just felt like I needed to stop. It was the most freeing feeling which tells me that it’s obviously not what I was supposed to be doing with my life. After taking the break from social media and a lot of prayer and self reflection, I knew contentment was my word that I needed to dig into and really work on this year. My first step was to change the way I start each day. What if my first conversation every day was a conversation of gratitude with God, thanking him for all that I am blessed with. I have so very much to be thankful for but I have not been living like a thankful person.

I worry about what my home looks like on both the inside and outside. I feel bitter after a long day when I don’t have the money to order delivery for dinner and grumble through cooking dinner for my family. I despise my 2006 minivan instead of being grateful that I have a vehicle that meets our families needs and I feel inadequate when my outfit isn’t as stylish as those around me. It is now July and I have grown a lot in this area of my life. I’ve spent time thinking about what my “treasure” is and what I want my “treasure” to be. If my heart is where my treasure is, I want my treasure to be the things of God. Love, compassion, gratitude, generosity, my family, investing in my children, and serving others. When we get consumed by the things of this world (material things, our looks, our finances, our status) we will only get hungrier for more. Living in excess will not make us happy and it’s up to us to be happy with less. Read this passage and see how it speaks to you.

Luke 12:22-25, 27-28

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

Vs 27 Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you---you of little faith!

Join me as I take you through what I’ve been processing thus far this year on what true contentment looks like. I plan to put out a different post about contentment every once in a while. I’d like to think that I could put out a new post each week but with putting my kiddos first this summer and with this being a hobby blog, not a job, they’re just going to come randomly. ;) I love to type out my thoughts especially when they are thoughts that might help others. I know I can’t be the only parent out there who struggles with contentment. Whoever you are and whatever your life looks like, I hope my words can be helpful to you.