In the crazy, non-stop, overwhelming rush of day-to-day life, do you ever find yourself throwing your hands up in desperation and longing for something more? Do you ever long for the next season of your life while just trying to get through the present?
Like a playlist set on repeat, our thoughts often spin on an endless cycle: If I can just make it to the weekend…If I can just make it to the end of this workday…If I can just make it through this difficult class…If I can just make it until summer… If I can just get that other job…If I can just find that perfect relationship and get married… If I can just make it until my dream vacation get-a-way… We are always longing for something more because we believe that somehow that next thing or season in life is better, will make us happy, and will complete us.
But dear sister, we only get one life on this earth, and that life goes by in the blink of an eye. Life is much too fleeting not to notice the beauty in the ordinary that we are surrounded by each and every day. Psalm 118:4 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Did you get that, sister? It says, this is the day. Not tomorrow, not the weekend, not the summer, not your day off, not when you find a better job, not when you get your dream house, not when you have a perfect marriage, not when you take an amazing vacation…. nope! Today is the day to rejoice and be glad. And yes, that means even in the mundane, frustrating, not so glamorous situations of everyday life.
No season of our lives is wasted with God. Everything that He allows us to pass through, even the trials that seem to have no end, have a purpose. If we are always longing for that next season of life, we miss what Jesus has for us today! The truth is that Jesus has something quite significant for us that we can’t miss. In Matthew 5:16, He calls us to shine as a light in this world. And that’s not just any light…it’s His light!
What are 3 ways we can find contentment in our present season of life so we can be present for God’s purpose?
1. We can find contentment in our present season by stopping the comparison of our season to the season of others.
I know you’ve probably heard that a million times before and I struggle with it often too! But it’s SO true, Sis! The sooner we can stop falling into the comparison trap, the sooner we can find joy right here and right now.
When I think about this truth, I am reminded of the journey that a caterpillar takes to become a butterfly. Last summer I watched the process take place in my own backyard. I watched the cocoon form. It was a vibrant green color in the beginning moist with the perfect moisture of the dew drops. Then it transitioned into an ugly, dull color. But a few days later, a beautiful butterfly emerged and left behind that ugly, empty shell. The caterpillar would not have become a gorgeous creature if it did not first go through that season of waiting inside the cocoon.
This is how the seasons of life are for you and me. For a time, we have to go through some darker, more difficult, and often slow seasons of waiting for God to mold and make us into His masterpiece and the beautiful story that He is writing! We just have to give Him time and trust His promises.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Sis, He knows our future and the seasons that will come and go, and our seasons of waiting may look differently than those around us. Enjoy the journey and He will bring you to where you need to be in His perfect timing.
2. We can find contentment in our present season by thanking God for our present season.
One surefire way to lack contentment in the present is not taking the time to see the beauty in the everyday. I have always loved the verse in Proverbs 17:22 that says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
When we take time to be thankful and see the good things around us, it’s like a medicine for our soul! A thankful and joyful heart cures our illness of discontentment. Some days we may have to look a little harder to find the joy, but I promise you, Sis, that it is there!
Helen Keller once said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched; they must be felt with the heart.” We cannot always readily see or touch the good around us, but we know in our heart that it is there in the countless ways God takes care of us.
3. We can find contentment in our present season by laying our desires at His feet daily.
There are many dreams and desires I have for my life that have not yet come to pass. There are some dreams I have that may never come to pass. And you know what? That’s okay as long as I’ve surrendered them to Him.
Believe me, there are days when this is extremely hard for me. There are moments when I frantically try to grasp control of every aspect of my life to make it fall into place exactly the way that my dreams say that it should. But maybe that is precisely the problem. Too often I cling tightly to my dreams, but maybe those aren’t God’s dreams for me. Maybe, in fact, He has better dreams for me than I ever could have imagined for myself.
Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” He wants to do more with you than you ever could have imagined, Sis!
There are moments in my personal time with the Lord where I find myself holding out my hands and saying, “Lord, my hands are empty. I feel like I’ve tried everything in my power to reach these dreams. Fill me instead with your dreams and what you have for me.” When I do that, a tremendous peace washes over my heart and soul. We must lay down our dreams at His feet daily because being at the feet of Jesus shows our humility before Him, that we are surrendered to Him, and that we need Him to show us the way.
So, I encourage you today, Sis, don’t just try to get to your next destination or season in life. Be present in the present, trust God’s timing, and radiate His love in our world that so desperately needs a glimmer of hope!
