There is a phrase we use in this generation called “living your best life.” I believe this phrase is encapsulated in the word contentment. Contentment is more than just being happy since happiness is dictated by your current circumstances. Contentment is defined as “an emotional state of satisfaction that can be seen as a mental state, maybe drawn from being at ease in one’s situation, body and mind or a state of having accepted one’s situation.” When you are content, you are satisfied. You have decided to make lemonade with the lemons that life has dealt you.
The Bible has a great deal to say about contentment – being satisfied with what we have, who we are, and where we’re going. The apostle Paul was a man who suffered and went without the comforts of life more than most people could ever imagine. He gave us the secret to contentment: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). Paul learned throughout his life how to not allow his circumstances get him down. Rather, in any situation he found himself in, he decided to focus on the bright side.
I have always admired people who look on the bright side. They don’t complain about their circumstances, but rather use them as building blocks to improve their situation. One thing that leads to dissatisfaction in life is our tendency to compare ourselves with others. We look at what others have and feel that what we have is not good enough. Or we seek after the things this world defines are valuable, rather than what the Lord places worth on. This puts us on an endless quest to fulfil our lives with things that only satisfy us temporarily. When we do this, we never find contentment.
Being content with what we have means we have to place our confidence and trust in God and believe that He knows what is best for us. He will take our bad situations and work them out for our good. We must remember that He has brought us through before and will do it again for us. There have been many times in my life where I thought my situation was hopeless and I did not feel by any means content. But somehow, by relying on my relationship with the Lord, I was able to endure and go through it. And in the end, God turned it into something that blessed me.
I tell my husband oftentimes that my forties were when I was living my best life. I felt most optimistic, more energetic, and felt I was at a good point in my life. When I reached my fifties, more aches and ailments were added to my ever-aging body. At first, I felt that my best days were behind me. But then I shifted my focus, began doing things that I enjoyed and followed the new direction the Lord was leading me. I found myself traveling and doing things I was not able to do in my forties and it has been great! I discovered that I could live my best life at any age, because like Paul I had learned the secret: we are content when we are doing things with purpose; this is what bring enjoyment. When we do what we are called to do, it brings satisfaction and helps us to redirect our focus away from our troubles.
This year let us do things that bring meaning and purpose to our lives. In turn, this will give contentment. Go out there and live your best life!