I used to wait for contentment to find me.
I thought it would arrive when life settled a little better, when circumstances aligned just right, when age provided wisdom. I imagined contentment as a gift showing up at my door, wrapped in quietness, peace, and ease. With the money and the success and the fulfillment coming along with it.
But it never did.
Contentment never visited like that.
Life stayed unpredictable. Circumstances refused to cooperate. And I was left searching, waiting.
But while searching and while waiting, I started noticing something. Contentment didn’t come to me; I had to go to it. Not by striving, but by choosing. By walking toward it, stepping into it, making space for it.
I needed to do my part.
So I started waking early, before the world demanded my attention. I journaled my prayers of confessions and realizations and hopes using different devises at different times. I read words—ancient words and new words—which shaped my soul. I whispered prayers in the dark. Sometimes I just sat in silence, letting my questions rest in the stillness.
I walked. Not to get there, but to be there. Step after step, breath after breath, I let the rhythm settle me. I found contentment in the trees as they stood in their places, in the wind whispering through the branches, in the way my feet kept moving and moving and moving.
What else did I do which brought a better mindset of contentment?
Breakfast or lunch or dinner with friends—simple meals, rich with laughter, seasoned with conversations. Songs with lyrics that made me pause, that helped me pray, that reminded me of what is true. Ball games that let me escape for a while, luring me toward a story bigger than myself. Sunrises that called me to gratitude and sunsets that reminded me to rest.
I found contentment in the mountains, where I could breathe deep and remember how small I am. I found it at the ocean, where the waves kept coming and going and coming and going—steady and sure, like grace. I found it in waterfalls—rushing, relentless, full of movement and mystery. I found it in the stars, in the way they shined without striving, in the way they simply were there—just there.
Family moments, poetry lines, worship songs, and quiet contemplation all became invitations to contentment. I didn’t always take them. Some days, I still waited for contentment to come to me. But the best days were the days I walked my way there. To find it. To experience it.
So I hope to continue choosing. Choosing to wake early, to walk, to read, to pray, to write, to laugh, to listen. Choosing to stand in awe of the mountains, to breathe in the ocean air, to watch the sun rise and set.
Contentment isn’t always something we stumble into. Sometimes it is something we step toward.
So take a step. Whatever today holds, choose to go where contentment is found. Walk toward it.
Wake early. Read. Pray. Write. Laugh. Be with people who remind you what is good. Stand beneath the stars and remember who you are. Listen to a song that stirs your soul. Let yourself be astonished by the beauty around you.
Contentment is waiting. But it might not come to you.
You just might need to go to it.
I always thought contentment was something that would find me, but I have to find time to be content. My time of contentment comes from nature and taking in all of God’s creation.
Yes, love nature- Gods creation!!
This piece reminds us that contentment doesn’t just come to us; we have to choose to find it. By doing simple things like praying, being with loved ones, or enjoying nature, we can experience peace and happiness in our daily lives.
I totally agree, many times people wait for what they want in life to come to them, but unfortunately it’s usually not that simple.
Contentment is something that I often struggle with. I will tell myself to be content, but look inward or at my actions and realize that I am not practicing contentment. The words above are such a great reminder that contentment is an action, it is a choice, and it is to be sought out. Circumstances and situations only affect your state of contentment if you allow them to.
This was very good! Ive been dealing w/ much discontentment for a good while and w/ reason. I’ve been casting my cares to Him. But as a woman in this phase of life i have been staying in the “ fight or flight” mode. Thats horrible for my mind & body. I typed up pages of verses to repeat out loud daily. Today i feel some peace and a lil joy! What a great day! Im content today, what a great feeling. Praise God!
Wow, this was very profound.
Sometimes we tend to wait until everything in life is going good and then say, “Oh, yeah God, I’m very content.” This, however, challenged me to always find contentment in the small and mundane things. Bad days still occur, but we can choose contentment. God created the earth, so as you mentioned sometimes all we need is a walk outside. Or maybe what we need is quiet time with God.
How blessed are we that we get to do these things and find joy in them?
That was so good! I think we often believe that pastures are greener elsewhere, or, if I only had this or that, I would be content but that never seems to be the case. Contentment and joy are things we must learn to take rather than searching for it. Sure, at times we may feel more content or joyful than others but learning to take joy and be content in the times where things are not flush is the true fulfillment of these words. If the joy of the Lord is our strength, if our hope is in him, we will not be put to shame.
Jesus is contentment. Contentment in understanding that through him, we have the peace of mind that the victory is already won. No matter the circumstance, we know the outcome. There is hope and joy. Stepping toward changing your perspective on nature is contentment. In understanding that the same creator who created it, created me and knows me by name, chooses me, and loves me.
This really changed my perspective on contentment and on expecting things. I realized that good things don’t always come to you, you have to work to get them.
This was such a beautiful and thought-provoking reflection. I love the idea that contentment isn’t something that simply arrives but something we choose to step toward. It’s a reminder to actively seek joy and gratitude instead of passively waiting for them to appear.
I loved the idea that contentment should be sought. Oftentimes I find myself waiting around for contentment— almost as if continuing this same course will bring me contentment, but with this reminder, I realize that I have to do my part. Wonderful blog!