Satisfied: The Quest for Contentment

As I was cooking dinner tonight, I was thinking about how I wouldn't actually get to sit down and enjoy eating it. It's just a reality when you have little ones, and it's one that I've come to accept. I enjoy cooking for my family, even when I don't always get to partake in a fresh, hot meal with them. I don't usually mind washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. The satisfaction I get comes from doing something for the people I love and care for, meeting a need and giving them nourishment. If the only satisfaction I wanted came from eating the food I prepare, I would be very unhappy a lot of the time. (You'd be surprised at how many analogies I can relate back to food. :)

Moment of Truth

Brandon and I have had several conversations recently around the topic of contentment. We've challenged one another about being content in our circumstances and satisfied with what God has given us. Then, we have gone back and forth about whether that is actually what God asks of us. I am about to get real for a minute, so if you're uncomfortable with that...here's your warning. In one of these conversations, it's very possible that I was having some serious anger toward God. It's very possible that I said "If we have been faithful and obedient, why is God not moving? Why is He not doing anything for us?" As I type that tonight, I am ashamed that I had listened to lies to the point where I began to believe them and have those thoughts. Thankfully, I have a husband who could remind me that we don't remain faithful to God and obey Him because of what He gives us. We do it because we love Him. We love Him because He first loved us.

Christ Alone

As I was boiling pasta, stirring sauce and browning meat, it came to me. We don't have the wrong answer, but instead we are asking the wrong question. Before you can know your level of contentment or satisfaction, you have to identify the goal...What whets my appetite? What am I really seeking? If I am seeking a fleeting emotion of happiness, then it will be elusive and at best, come and go. If I desire the perfect job situation, home, church, marriage, family, (fill in the blank), then I will not accomplish it...or if I think I have, it will not last. However, if my goal and desire is Christ and I whole-heartedly seek satisfaction in Him, and Him alone, done. I will be satisfied. Immediately. It becomes about who I am in Him, not temporary circumstances or fleeting emotions. It's something so much bigger and so much deeper. If I can shift my focus to finding fulfillment in Jesus, then it takes care of everything else, because delighting in Christ is all-encompassing. As a by-product, I can be content in any circumstance...not because I'm always thrilled about it, but because in light of Him, nothing is too difficult. Nothing can steal my joy, rooted in a Savior who loves me, died for me and lives to lead me through this life.

Big Purpose, Bigger God

Satisfaction in life does not mean that I must find happiness in difficult valleys. It means that I must trust Him in the valleys AND on the mountaintops. It means that I must recognize that my life is about something bigger than me. When we get there and can begin to wrap our minds around the significance of that, it is life-changing and you can't go back. It challenges you to live like your life matters, not just for you but for others and for the Kingdom. It also relieves the pressure, because when it isn't all about you, it also isn't all up to you. Thank you Jesus!

I am so thankful today that my God is able to handle my misplaced anger toward Him and that He forgives me for it. I am grateful for revelation to understand (and continue understanding) the depth of His love for me. I am beyond moved to possess the knowledge and ability to be 100% content and satisfied in Christ, no matter what.