Let Us Not Breed Discontentment

I think there are many things that often steer us away from leading a strong, stable and faithful life. But one of the more common reason is feeling discontented about our present life or situation. When work burdens are too oppressing, family needs are growing, financial instability is happening or things like loneliness or an unanswered prayer for the longest time. We could even wish that we could turn back time, desire to lead someone else’s kind of life or just want more than what we have now. Now, it is only natural we may feel this way because we have a nature to desire, to move forward, to strive. However, discontentment is the negative by-product of all these. It comes when our eyes, our heart and mind comes into contact with something that matches our current inclinations. Maybe a desire for personal time because we are laden with child rearing duties, upgrade to a bigger house because our peers are mostly doing so, investing because it is all the rage for quick money. It matches with our standards of what is “good enough” even if our present situation may not be so. Then, it will breed a powerful influence over belittling or pessimistically looking at what we have now. “If only…”, “I wish…”, “Why doesn’t God bless me this way, that way?”, “Why can’t people change?”.

The effects of discontentment

Now, this invisible enemy of the heart is a force to be reckoned with. Discontentment has a very high growing potential and what is sparked off as a thought, could grow into a blazing flame of bitterness and resentment. We lose the joy of confirming what the Lord has prepared for us in our seasons and instead, look outwards for an insatiable thirst to have a change, to compare, to be immersed in inner groaning and sighs. Though it may just be a thought or feeling, it flows out into our living eventually. Not putting in our heart at work because we are unhappy with it, our behaviour, words and facial expressions to our family members because we are so tired of the chores and impatient with the repetitive things. People will start to feel your “vibe” or if not, you will start losing your Christian joy. It not only affects the way we look at ourselves, it will start burning other bridges of our lives as well. Yes, it might not be causing major tidal waves of issues, but discontentment creates cracks in our faith living, our relationship with God and with the people around us. Now, Satan feeds off our discontentment, so let us not breed it but starve our flesh from this enemy within.

Shut the voice of discontentment up

Now, to do so, we need to know where our discontentment tend to work up. When we eat something and get a stomachache the next day, we will think back on what it is that caused this discomfort. It could be that expired bread, the spicy noodle or such. Then, we will be wary in the future. Similarly, knowing we have discontentment, we have to realise what usually cause it. Of course, it comes from our sinful nature of desires and perspectives, but everyone is wired with our inclinations. So when are we most inclined to have discontentment? For myself, I find discontentment working up for me especially when I do not have enough personal time for that week. Like my child does not have school, I have chores to do, juggling work. Self pity will come to me and I would feel dissatisfied with my “tired” life. So for you, it may be another case, but let it not dwell and drive out the truths in our hearts. Now let us take a look at Queen Esther’s life. We know that she is a Jew who became a queen and risk her life to save the Jewish people from the destructive plans of the court official, Haman. In Esther 4:14, as Mordecai persuades Esther to help the Jews, he said to her, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Surely, Esther was fearful, unsure, yet after heeding the truth, she covered her present situation with faith in God’s meaningful purpose for her. She sees that even her current plight is not just a random chance or something she should just lament about. God has placed us carefully on mountain highs and valley lows, narrower routes, longer paths or even shortcuts “for such a time”, for a reason. Surely we may not know exactly what is the reason in God’s plan for stagnancy, stillness or whatever we do not desire for right now, but let us ask ourselves, what if we were not living in our particular life right now? Could we have missed out accomplishing many of the things God has been doing through our lives today? In other words, if we had the life we wanted, where will our need and reverence for God be? And if we were to be contented with what we desired, would we not have new desires the next day? Let us not fill up the void of our lives with things that cannot consistently satisfy. Let us not make these “shifting shadows” our end goal in this season of life. True contentment cannot be found in possessions, people or a good outcome. It can only be found in our spiritual convictions, that Christ’s power, purpose and provision is the only sufficiency in all things.

Let me end with this verses in 1 Timothy 6:6-12. “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” God bless.