Hebrews 13:5
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”2 Corinthians 12:9-10
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Last week I gave you a piece of one of my stories to give you one example of discontentment and show you the solution to it. I left you with these questions to think over: Where is your hope founded? What is your contentment based on?
I ask you these additional questions to get you thinking: What is the season you are in? In what ways are you feeling discontent? Are you single and don’t want to be? Is your job not what you wanted? Is your family dynamic changing? Are your friends moving? Are you feeling restless in your spirit? Or is something else not going as you planned or dreamed?
A few years ago, God started asking me, “Would you give up ______ for Me?” It was many different things—the school I was currently in, the friends I was making, to name a couple. He was asking me to trust Him with the way He wanted to heal my heart. Later, He asked me if I would give up something I had begun to idolize. It was something I turned to when I was hurting or bored—it had become an obsession. But He was asking to have my full attention.
Recently, it was my dreams. Dreams I have had since I was a child, even dreams for ministry I wanted to do with Him. The dreams of what I hoped for and wanted in a husband. What I wanted to do with my future family. Dreams of a home I could decorate however I wanted. My timing of it all. But this time He was asking me to trust that He loves me and knows how best to write my story. He was asking me to hope in Him and make Him my safe place—my home. He was asking me to be content in Him. Not to have my safety, hope, or contentment in a box I created for myself to protect myself from the potential painful, dangerous “what ifs.”
All the dreams I created of how things looked were what I believed I was capable of—maybe with a little hope of what I could be in time. If things went how I hoped, then I would be safe from too much hardship that I could not handle. God was asking me to trust in His character even when it is painful and hard.
Like in last week’s story, it is not easy to let go of what we want. It is hard because underneath are control or fear—or both. There is always a reason or a lie from the enemy behind what we hold so tightly to. Like the reason Eve did not drop the apple—or whatever fruit it was—back in the garden and run from the snake that was twisting the truth. But like Joseph, we need to find the courage to run from those temptations. Are the things you are placing your hope in feeding or protecting an insecurity that is rooted in a lie you grabbed hold of years ago?
Ask the Lord to reveal the truth to you. Like how my dreams were layered on misplaced hope, which was layered on top of the lie of a lack of potential—let God peel back the layers. Let God put the broken pieces back together. Let Him lead you out of the pit the enemy lured you into. Let Him give you the peace, hope, and trust you need to stand firmly on Him. But you have to want it. You have to choose to step out in faith. You have to surrender the thing you are holding so tightly to. You have to walk away from it and not pick it back up.
But know that God’s grace covers you when you do pick it back up. So don’t condemn yourself—just lay it back down and continue to walk away. It gets easier the more you surrender.
From the outside, you might think it is not that big a deal. It’s just your friends you keep close to you, or comfort in your family, or dreams you’ve built for yourself. “What’s wrong with dreaming?” right? There are many things, big and small, that fit into this category. Maybe it is in yourself and your own accomplishments. But if it is getting in the way of what God wants to do in your life, or stealing your peace, or even taking first place in your life, then it needs to go.
Whether you believe in God or not, things, people, and situations cannot be where your hope lies. Because they will steal everything from you and leave you empty. They will keep you searching for more. They will dry up in the end and fade away. You will be left with the pain you were trying to protect yourself from in the first place—but with worse scars. People leave or die or change or hurt you. Families grow, shrink, and change. Situations are always flexible, and the more you try to hold them in place, the more you hurt yourself. You are also imperfect and make mistakes.
God is the only unchanging, faithful, and perfect foundation on which to build your hopes and dreams—to build your life upon. If you don’t believe me, look at the track record of the things you have placed your hope in. How many times did they leave you empty-handed? How many times have you had to drown your sorrows in one form or another? Yes, we who believe in God also get it wrong, like I just said. And no, we are not always good examples to look at. But the truth remains: God is the only one who should take first place in our lives.
So, I challenge you to study your hearts. Whether you believe in God or not, take a look and see what is at the root of the thing you place your hope in and that makes you content. And if it is an insecurity or a painful memory or a statement that you repeat to yourself that is holding you back—or maybe even driving you—put a flag in it. Then ask yourself what it is doing for you. Where has it led you?
Even if you believe it is pushing you into more of your potential, look at the things around you. Are you pushing others away? Are you pushing people out of your way? Are you the one that is now hurting others so that they don’t hurt you? Are you compromising on what you know is ethical? Are you full of pride? What kind of trail are you leaving behind you? What kind of person do you want to be? What kind of things do you want to leave behind for the people after you—the next generation?
Something that truly serves them, or something that only served you, leaving others to pick up the broken pieces or suffer for what you did? This world is not yours, and your life affects everyone around you. Is the thing you place your hope and contentment in worth the suffering—or those around you suffering?
In the end, God is sovereign. He knows what is best for you and His world. He created, knows, and loves you. He is the only one who pursues to the point of dying for you. He is the only one worth suffering for. Be honest with yourself—and try surrendering it to God. It is your gain.
Matthew 11:28–29 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
