Discontent

Discontent.

Sometimes, I think it’s God’s way of getting us ready – preparing us to move on to something else in our lives.

We have to be careful though. We can grow discontented with our marriages or other things and use God as our excuse to move on. He wants us to be happy, right? But the thing is, God will never choose to move us on from something that contradicts His Word. It is His express desire that our marriages work. That they last. So He would never use your unhappiness to encourage you to bail out. Just not gonna happen.  However, I believe He WILL use our discontent on other levels to motivate us to make changes.

Change is often not welcomed by people. We resist anything new or different. It can be uncomfortable. Scary. Different. And that’s not often something we embrace. But, change can also be exciting, refreshing, and flourishing.

Sometimes we stay in a certain spot in our lives simply because that’s all we know how to do…be. We stay there because we’ve lost our ability to dream or to believe in ourselves. In middle age, it can be hard to think about making a career switch. It can be scary uprooting your family from all you know around you. But sometimes that is exactly what God asks of us…wants of us!

I think if we are feeling discontent in our hearts, we need to take a good look at the root of that and just why we may be feeling what we are feeling. If that discontent is merely the “grumps” or stems from not having what we truly want, then maybe it’s time to realign our attitudes and refocus how we approach where we currently are. If that discontent lingers…and is accompanied by a hunger for something deeper, and if that discontent is accompanied by the knowledge and action of going to the Lord for direction; then it just may be that God is stirring those feelings inside of you for a reason. He may be speaking to you and preparing you to mobilize for something new in your life.

God often led His people to different places in Bible times. He moved them from land to land, and role to role. Each one teaching them something profound and using them to move on His behalf. He never promised to leave us in one place and keep us there forever.

I look at discontent as an exciting yet frustrating time. It’s very hard to feel a hunger for something grow deep inside of you and not be able to do anything about it. It’s also very exciting to know that in God’s perfect timing that hunger will be satisfied.

If you are in one of these seasons in life, hang in there. Keep praying. Keep seeking God’s direction. He will start pointing it out to you and sifting things in your life to help point you in the way you should go. Don’t rush it yet don’t give up either. For His plans won’t be hurried.

Just think – God has something exciting in mind for you. When you get there…you’ll know that was “it.” And you’ll be thankful He led you where He did.