We had just moved into our house. It was several years ago now. I was so excited to be a new home owner. I was surprised we could afford a home at that time. I was a stay at home mom and my husband was in his second year of teaching. We weren’t making much money, so to be able to get a home loan was amazing! We were also able to find a really good deal on a home that was going into foreclosure so I felt so lucky and blessed to be able to find such an amazing little home. It was my dream home, a little ranch style home, cozy, small. It was just what we wanted. About six months later something happened. It didn’t happen out of nowhere, but crept in slowly. It was about the time that I had everything decorated and put up that I started feeling the boredom set in. I was already discontent in my home.
What had happened to my contentment? Six months ago I was beyond excited to be a homeowner, now I was thinking of ways I could save up more money to buy a bigger and better home. Why couldn’t I be content in a home that was my dream home a few month ago. I just didn’t understand. In time I would realize that it had nothing to do with my home, but had everything to do with my perspective. It wasn’t just my house I was discontent with, I wasn’t happy with my body or my looks, with the amount of money we had or the amount of clothes I owned. Every week it seemed like I would pick something else to obsess about. It might be my kids behavior, or how clean my house was. I wasn’t happy with anything. I worked out 5 days a week for hours on end trying to achieve the body I desired, but only came home exhausted with a body that hurt constantly. I looked in the mirror and still didn’t like what I saw. All that work and I still wasn’t content. It didn’t matter how many new clothes I got, how many pounds I lost, or if my husband got a raise. I was never content, I always wanted more.
Have you ever felt this way, discontent? I’m sure you have at some point. We are all told that more and better is what we should want. We should keep working our way up the ladder. We should want more money, more success, more excitement. If we keep working hard at some point we will find happiness. We will surely find contentment right around the next corner. We just have to work a little harder or wait a little longer and in time we will have what we are looking for. The world will promise you fulfillment and happiness when you finally get that promotion, buy that new car or reach that perfect weight, but we really don’t stay content for long, do we? Once the job gets old we become discontent. When we set our sights on a newer car, we become bored with the old one. When we attain the "perfect weight" we find ourselves focused on losing even more. The thing about the world is it promises fulfillment, but the truth is, it will never be able to follow through with that promise.
We all have a deep longing in our soul that needs to be filled. After the fall we were left separated from God. That separation is not natural, it isn’t how we were created to live. We were meant to be in relationship with God, not separated. We will always be longing for Him as long as we are here on earth. We might think we are longing for something else, but that emptiness cannot be filled with anything other than God. When you try to fill the emptiness with something other than God it will only leave you disappointed. The temporary fillers feel awesome in the moment, but it is the darkness that seeps in afterward that is crushing. The lie we are told is... that if it feels good keep doing it, what makes you feel good will fulfill you and make you happy. I know from personal experience that this is a lie, just because it feels good, doesn’t mean it will satisfy your needs. What feels the best is living in God’s will, doing what He lays out for you. When you fill the emptiness with anything other than God it will only keep you restless and wanting more.
We all have a deep longing in our soul that needs to be filled. After the fall we were left separated from God. That separation is not natural, it isn’t how we were created to live. We were meant to be in relationship with God, not separated. We will always be longing for Him as long as we are here on earth. We might think we are longing for something else, but that emptiness cannot be filled with anything other than God. When you try to fill the emptiness with something other than God it will only leave you disappointed. The temporary fillers feel awesome in the moment, but it is the darkness that seeps in afterward that is crushing. The lie we are told is... that if it feels good keep doing it, what makes you feel good will fulfill you and make you happy. I know from personal experience that this is a lie, just because it feels good, doesn’t mean it will satisfy your needs. What feels the best is living in God’s will, doing what He lays out for you. When you fill the emptiness with anything other than God it will only keep you restless and wanting more.
It's not always an easy choice to choose God over the things of this world. It is so tempting to want to fit in and follow the crowd. We will naturally find ourselves wanting what the world has to offer. Our natural tendency is NOT to go to God for fulfillment, but instead we try and find fulfillment in the world. That is what will come easiest to us. Our human nature is to rebel against God. Don't think it is going to be an easy thing to go to God for fulfillment, it takes discipline. The struggle is real and that is because we have an enemy. The enemy makes us question things and he is always there to help us choose a path that leads away from God. He's not dumb, he's actually pretty clever. He won't tempt us with things that are unpleasing or unexciting, he tempts with things that he knows will get us off track and keep us off track. He tempts us with the things that we struggle saying no to. He knows us well, if he distracts us with the things that trip us up the most, then he has victory. His goal is always to kill, steal, and destroy. If he can keep us away from God, he is winning.
If we didn't have an enemy, it would be so easy. Even as someone who loves God with all my heart, I still find myself questioning, will God really fill my emptiness. I know His truths, but I sometimes find my self questioning, will He really satisfy my needs? In those moments I know the enemy is working overtime. I hear the whispers. They sound a lot like this:
"God cannot fulfill you, why do you seek Him, there are more exciting things to do, you are missing out"
"You could be working more and making more money, but in your free time you lead bible studies,waste of time, you are missing out. "
"If you made more money you could shop more and have nicer stuff. It is more stuff that will make you happy. You are missing out.”
I hear those lies in my head still, they come and go. I get tripped up at times, but I am getting more discipline in not believing the lies. I lived that old life, the one where my main goal was to seek after things like money, success, beauty, popularity, more stuff, etc. That life just wasn’t working for me. At times, the enemy will try and convince me that I should go back to what I used to worship, but I know I am far better off living my life for God. He reminds me daily that I am NOT missing out. Even though we have an enemy, He isn't stronger than God. God helps me to stay strong and He reminds me when I am being lied to. The more I stay in truth and in prayer the more I am able to see the lies for what they are. The lies try and keep us from seeking God. It’s the enemies best weapon. When the enemy is able to keep us from God he knows we are powerless.
I have lived both lives, one that I indulged in what the world had to offer and one that is surrendered to Christ. There is no comparison. It may seem boring to live a life for Christ, but that is such a lie. It was one of the biggest lies that I fell for. It wasn’t until I started dabbling in the “God stuff” that I started to realize I was being lied to. When I first started to experience God personally, I was like what the heck? This is awesome. I immediately felt like I had been cheated. That is what the enemy does, he will deceive you for as long as you let him. God is the only one who can open peoples eyes to the lies of the enemy. Being lied to for that long ticks me off. I wasn’t born strong willed for nothing. That feistiness is coming unleashed now, and I’m ready to fight back. It is God who gives me the weapons to fight against the enemy, Now that I have God I am not only ready, but I am able. I am ready to fight for my life. No more going through the motions, no more living life being lied to all the time. When you have God on your side, there’s nothing more powerful!
Throughout life you are slowly taking in knowledge and building a belief system around what you hear and what you learn. How do you know what is true and what is false? Most people take for granted that their friends, family, professors or teachers are speaking truth, am I right? I really never thought for myself, I’d just believed whatever I heard. I never sought out truth for myself. It wasn’t until the last few years that I chose to figure things out for myself. I was no longer content taking everyone's word for it. Before I started studying the bible, I didn't believed in a universal truth. I thought all people had their "own truths". I just accepted that as fact, but the more I studied the bible the more I realized it was impossible not to have universal truth. That's when I felt more determined to learn God's truths. When I began seeking truth I realized I was also seeking God. It was crazy how that happened. I realized that when I seek after God personally, He responds personally. He is not only the God of the world, but He is a very personal God. He wants you to get to know Him, He already knows who you are, He’s waiting for you to make the choice to get to know Him!
The world has so many different opinions and theories. I used to get so incredibly confused on who and what to believe. I realized in my own life that my beliefs formed my perspective. We don't see the world as it is, we see the world as we are. Who we are is determined by what we choose to believe. If we choose to believe lies our perspective and outlook suffers. If we believe and live by truth our perspective will start to look more and more like God’s. There is nothing more peaceful and fulfilling than to start to see the world the way God does. The more and more I get to know God and read truth through scripture, the more my perspective of life and this world changes. I am slowly replacing the lies with truth and by doing that it is changing my life. I have become more positive, loving, joyful, less worried, less afraid, more patient, more bold, less judgmental, more caring. The way God can change your heart and perspective through scripture and prayer is amazing.
When I seek after God I find more contentment. I find myself getting restless and discontent when I get too focused on my work or my kids, my family, friends, serving. Those things are great, but when I start to focus on them more than I focus on God, I start to become discontent. In the past when I would feel discontent, I would go to alcohol, parties, friends, shopping, working out, but those things only worked temporarily. They always felt good in the moment, but in time I would be left in the same place as I started. There was never any progress. Those things are okay, but when you are going to them to find fulfillment, they will only leave you more empty and push you further and further from God. It is God that we need, nothing else will compare to what He has to offer. I know personally, when I am not seeking God and putting Him as the number one priority in my life, I struggle.
My son has it figured out. He often remind me, “ Jesus saves doesn’t he mom, He wants to help us right?” That is correct. I love when my little kiddos speak truth to me. Jesus came to save us from the path we are headed down. He came to give us life. God waits patiently for His people to come to Him, so He can lead them down a path that leads to salvation and to freedom. He wants to show us what we are missing out on. He wants to make our lives more fulfilling. He doesn’t promise a perfect life here on earth, but what God does promise is a perfect life in Heaven. That is what I have my focus on, God helps me look to things eternal and that brings me peace. When I focus on that, the temporary things don’t seem so big anymore. It is God who is creating in me a different perspective, an eternal perspective!
The world has so many different opinions and theories. I used to get so incredibly confused on who and what to believe. I realized in my own life that my beliefs formed my perspective. We don't see the world as it is, we see the world as we are. Who we are is determined by what we choose to believe. If we choose to believe lies our perspective and outlook suffers. If we believe and live by truth our perspective will start to look more and more like God’s. There is nothing more peaceful and fulfilling than to start to see the world the way God does. The more and more I get to know God and read truth through scripture, the more my perspective of life and this world changes. I am slowly replacing the lies with truth and by doing that it is changing my life. I have become more positive, loving, joyful, less worried, less afraid, more patient, more bold, less judgmental, more caring. The way God can change your heart and perspective through scripture and prayer is amazing.
When I seek after God I find more contentment. I find myself getting restless and discontent when I get too focused on my work or my kids, my family, friends, serving. Those things are great, but when I start to focus on them more than I focus on God, I start to become discontent. In the past when I would feel discontent, I would go to alcohol, parties, friends, shopping, working out, but those things only worked temporarily. They always felt good in the moment, but in time I would be left in the same place as I started. There was never any progress. Those things are okay, but when you are going to them to find fulfillment, they will only leave you more empty and push you further and further from God. It is God that we need, nothing else will compare to what He has to offer. I know personally, when I am not seeking God and putting Him as the number one priority in my life, I struggle.
My son has it figured out. He often remind me, “ Jesus saves doesn’t he mom, He wants to help us right?” That is correct. I love when my little kiddos speak truth to me. Jesus came to save us from the path we are headed down. He came to give us life. God waits patiently for His people to come to Him, so He can lead them down a path that leads to salvation and to freedom. He wants to show us what we are missing out on. He wants to make our lives more fulfilling. He doesn’t promise a perfect life here on earth, but what God does promise is a perfect life in Heaven. That is what I have my focus on, God helps me look to things eternal and that brings me peace. When I focus on that, the temporary things don’t seem so big anymore. It is God who is creating in me a different perspective, an eternal perspective!
I’ve worked my whole life trying to change certain things about myself. For the most part, I didn’t really like who I was. For example, I didn’t like that I was discontent in my home, I knew people around the world were dying because they didn’t have enough food to eat and there I sat discontent in my home. I tried not to think that way, but I never was able to change the way I thought. I would always try so hard to change, but was never successful. I was only able to find change when I started seeking God. The more I sought God the more He engraved His truths onto my heart. I am no longer discontent in my home, not because of anything I did, but only because of God. God is the ONLY one who can transform the heart. Whenever I feel discontent, that is my reminder that I need to seek God. God is the only one who can change your heart and change your perspective.
Matthew 16:24-26 The Message (MSG)
Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Colossians 3:2-4
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
Titus 2:11-12
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.
1 Timothy 6:6-9
Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
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