It was late. The kids had been in bed for several hours, and I was filling the time waiting for my husband to come home from a long day at work by folding laundry. Resentful notions tossed around in my head keeping time with the dryer, tumbling over and over until discontentment was reigning queen of my thoughts.

I wish we didn’t live here. If we just moved, everything would be different. I would be so much happier.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, the mulling continued, and that tiny seed of discontentment grew into a bitter secret garden. It became a place I liked to go and relax every now and again, comforting myself with these false realities. It felt so cool and inviting, I began to believe it, persuading myself of the greenness of the grass in that other dreamy state.

Ironically, just a few years earlier I was convinced that this exact location was where we were called as a family. I was ready and willing to follow the Lord’s leading into this place. So where had my elusive fickle friend Contentment gone off to?!

Sometimes, we find ourselves itchy in our current season, and we begin to think that if ____________ would change, all our wishes could come true, and we would be (to borrow Elizabeth Bennet’s phrase from Pride & Prejudice) “completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy.” Oh if only this utopian place could really exist, filled with never-ending rainbows, cleans dishes, and happy children.

We yearn for contentment but believe that its location is somewhere else rather than our current setting. And if you’re like me, you find yourself believing that lie — that things will all be better in the future once the present circumstance changes. That our happiness hinges on that change!

We forget that no matter the storm, no matter the blah-ness of the day, He is there.

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  ~ Matthew 28:20

We lose sight of the blessing in the midst of the dissatisfaction. 

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”  ~ Psalm 34:1

We begin to think that contentment is dependent on the state of the situation rather than an ATTITUDE to be chosen.

 “…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”  ~ Philippians 4:11

Maybe it’s time to allow God some room to throw in a little Game Changer. Instead of dwelling on the hollow promises of the mysterious what-could-be, let’s strive to see Him in our current circumstance. One way we can do this is to sink our teeth into the promises of God’s Word. And as we do, we will begin to see His hand in action. Maybe not in the ways we wanted or in the ways we anticipated. But we can trust His perfect plan, leaving the end results to Him.

Contentment does not equal complacency. Contentment means resting in the place God presently has you and living there well.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord….”  ~ Colossians 3:23

Dear friend, I’m not sure where you’re at today. Maybe your heart is bursting with contentment and overflowing with blessing. Or maybe you’re seeking refuge in your own secret garden of bitterness. Wherever you find yourself, my prayer is that you will find joy in your present circumstances and live TODAY to the very best of your ability — for the honor and glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It might not be the most comfortable place to be, but we can still rest knowing that:

“He who began a good work…will be faithful to bring it to completion….”  ~ Philippians 1:6

Rest there, mom. In His hands is a good place to be.

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Anne-Renee Gumley

Anne-Renee is a full-time mom who works part-time at her family's party store. She has two children who keep her laughing, a husband who keeps her smiling, and an itch for writing that just won't go away.

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Latest posts by Anne-Renee Gumley (see all)

• Shopping for Resolutions - January 1, 2021
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