On my mind today is how much all of us really just want to feel passionately about life. We get tired of what we are doing day to day and we want something else. We see people around us living what seems like such a great and fulfilling life, while ours seems dull and pointless.
So what may we do at this point? Do we seek a new job perhaps, one we’ll like more? Do we get involved with a new club or hobby? Maybe the answer is in joining the intense sports fans…they always seem excited! Maybe a new ministry? Maybe a new family, or just escaping the life we are in to move to a new place and start over.
Often the answer we are looking for rests plain and simply in remembering who God is and what He has planned for us. Our passion and excitement can be in Him, in kindling our love for the God that made us and desires a relationship with us.
In our sinful world, one common struggle we all have is being discontent. We want to compare ourselves to those around us and naturally become competitive. Especially if we find no peace or purpose really in our own lives, at least we can make ourselves feel better by having more, or doing more than those around us.
We think we are doing our children a favor by engraining in them this idea that they can be whatever they want. The world is theirs to rule. Go ahead and plan to be president, a Nobel prize winner, a celebrity. We are just planting the same seeds of discontentment in them that we struggle with. Living a good life is often just working a regular job and choosing to spend our free hours in ways that matter. A society needs people in all of the roles to function well but we like to teach that everyone can have those high profile jobs and wonder why no one wants to stoop down to do the daily stuff. We don’t value the 75% of jobs that keep us eating food each day, not living in a heap of garbage, learning our ABCs.
The answer I’ve found after many, many years of searching for that mysterious contentment is that contentment is being at peace where God has me, doing my daily work with excellence, loving the people around me well. The excitement may or may not be obvious today, but regardless we can focus our passion and purpose on the God that loves us and has saved us from ourselves. Our contentment can only be found in God, not in anyone else or anything else. Those we should admire most are the ones that have peace in their lives and refuse to buy into the world’s teachings that I deserve more of everything to be happy. There is no peace if it’s not in Jesus, our true Savior and Lord.