Contending With Contentment

After I moved out of the house, I would come back and visit my father over the Holidays. He would always ask me, “Son, are you happy?”  Deep down I think he was really asking me if I was content. 

Happiness is something that comes and goes. It is about excitement, fun, moments, actions, and material things. Contentment is something that lasts. It's about going with the flow, enjoying the satisfaction of work, and appreciating nature and life.

I was pretty content when I was young but over the years I have found myself struggling a bit.

Life can sometimes beat us down, especially if we are in a season of having to deal with hardships. We can easily get focused on the negatives.

Here are some tips to finding contentment, even if you are in the middle of a mess.

Be who you are

You can only be content if you become who you are. Don’t live other people’s life by trying to meet their expectations. People may expect you to have certain job or certain way of living but don’t be intimidated by them. Find who you are and be yourself.

Forget the past

You won’t be happy if you carry the burden of the past. Did you make mistakes? Did you have terrible experiences? Whatever they are, let them go. There’s nothing you can do about the past, so you’d better let them go and focus your energy on the present.

Take responsibility for your life

No matter how bad a situation is, you can always choose how you respond to it. People will annoy you, but it’s up to you whether or not you will resent. But, you and I shouldn’t blame someone else when something goes wrong. Take the responsibility and we have the power to choose.

Build relationships

Life’s truest happiness is found in friendships we make along the way.
Relationships are where we can get true contentment in life. The reason is simple: only through relationships can we love and be loved. Make relationships your top priority and you are on your way to true happiness.

Develop multiple passions

Passions lead you to contentment. So not only should you discover your multiple passions, you should also expand yourself to new passions. This way you will create new ways to happiness.

The key to expanding to new passions is curiosity. If you are curious, you will have an endless stream of exciting things waiting for you.

Count your blessings

Contentment will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.
Being happy is easy if we are grateful. Unfortunately, seeing what we don’t have is often easier than seeing what we have. Sometimes we need to experience loss before appreciating what we have. So don’t take things for granted. Look at what you have and soon you will have plenty of reasons to be content.

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. - Philippians 4:11

Can you add something to this list? I’d love to hear from you.

The Cure For Discouragement

Not so long ago I was really discouraged and it lasted over two years!  But now I know discouragement is curable.
I have found there were four reasons why I get discouragement.

1. I get fatigued -- We're human beings and we wear out. You cannot burn the candle at both ends. So if you're discouraged, it may be you don't have to change anything. You just need a vacation! Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to bed.

2.  I get frustrated -- Have you noticed that anytime you start doing something new, the trash starts piling up?
If you don't clean it out periodically, it's going to stop your progress. You can't avoid it, so you need to learn to recognize it and dispose of it quickly so you don't lose focus on your original intention.
What is the rubble in your life? I think rubble is the trivial things that waste your time and energy and prevent you from accomplishing what God has called you to do.

3. I think I've failed --  Goals are a good thing but sometimes if you are unable to finish the task as quickly as originally planned, confidence collapses. Then you think, “why did I even try this?’’
But you know what I do now when I don't reach a goal on time? I just set a new goal. I don't give up. Everybody fails. Everybody does foolish things. So the issue is not that you failed - it's how you respond to your failure.
Do you give in to self-pity? Do you start blaming other people? Do you start complaining that it's impossible? Or, do you refocus and start moving again?

4. If I give in to fear -- Studies suggest the people most affected by fear are those who hang around negative people. If you're going to control the negative thoughts in your life, you've got to get away from negative people as much as you can.

Maybe you're discouraged because of fear. You're dealing with fears like, "I can't handle this. It's too much responsibility." Maybe it's the fear that you don't deserve it. It's the fear of criticism. Fear will destroy your life if you let it. But you can choose to resist the discouragement. Say, "God help me get my eyes off the problem - off the circumstance - and keep my eyes on you."

Are there other reasons why you get discouraged? Discouragement can be cured!