Dealing With Discontentment

Scriptures: Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Timothy 6:6-8

One of the biggest challenges that we face in today’s society is discontentment. Merriam-Webster defines discontentment as the condition of being dissatisfied with one’s life or situation. The gateway for discontentment is often comparison. Technological advances have contributed to this increase in comparison and discontentment, mainly through social media, where we have access to the lives of millions of people at our fingertips. Instead of only seeing the lives of our neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends, we now can compare our lives to millions of people who only show the highlights of their lives. 

Seeing the lives of others who have bought houses, cars, got married, had children, etc., often causes us to question what God has and is doing for us. We frequently have this distorted lens because we believe and pray for the very thing we see others having. We think they have the life we want, the material things we desire, and this comparison trap leads us to discontentment. As President Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” The enemy would love nothing more than for us to continue to be trapped by comparison and be discontent with our lives because of the adverse effects it has on our relationship with God. 

It is not until we acknowledge and reverse this unhealthy pattern that we understand that discontentment is an invitation to give God glory. Jesus provides us with an example of how we should address this worry of not seeing God in our lives in Matthew 6 when he points out the birds who neither sow nor reap, yet God takes care of them. In this example, he invites the disciples to ponder whether we are more valuable than them. 

Through this Bible plan, I hope to provide some hope for anyone dealing with discontentment and how we can address it through the Word of God. Over the next few days, we will explore examples of discontentment and provide some practical steps to deal with feelings of discontentment.

Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, Isaiah 60:22, Isaiah 40:31, James 1:2-4

Another key contributor to our discontentment is the concept of time. We frequently set timelines for ourselves that are heavily influenced by society. We base the success of our lives on milestones like being married, having a certain degree, house, or income level, all by some set age number. We stress ourselves out to accomplish these things, and if we cannot achieve them, discontentment begins to set in. 

Even if we achieve these things, the sad reality is the achievement of these things soon proves not to be enough to find fulfillment, but that is another devotional for another day. It is not until we fall out of love with our timeline that we can truly rest in the fact that God has a perfect plan for us according to His time. The Bible tells us that there is a time for everything under heaven. Just think about it this way: would you allow a toddler to drive your car? In the same way, your answer is a resounding no; God often looks at what we think is best for our lives and says, “It isn’t the right time.” As cliché as it is, a no may not mean never; it just may mean not yet. Eventually, the toddler’s parents will say, “Hey, you’ve grown to a place of maturity, and you are ready to drive a vehicle,” but not until the appointed time. 

In our ignorance of thinking that we know better than our heavenly Father, we begin to rush and get out of God’s timing. Society has convinced us in this Instagram, Instacart, and InstaGod society that we can have whatever we like when we like. This affects our spiritual journey because God’s answer is often in the form of wait or patience. Since we do not have to wait for anything else, we think a delay (by our timelines) is a denial. 

Even our reading of the Bible makes us think that things always happen immediately. We read accounts in the Bible and flip the page to the good part, not realizing that the time between two chapters could have been several years. For example, scholars suggest that it could have taken upwards of 100 years for Noah to build the ark. 

The Bible is full of reminders that show us the power of waiting on the Lord and patience, producing perseverance in us. As much of this Bible plan will suggest, we have to shift our perspective to say this wait is not in vain, and God, I know You will make it happen at the appointed time. We have to take an honest assessment and ask, am I discontent because I’ve placed my timeline over God’s? 

Regardless of your answer, I hope today reminds you to trust God’s timing for your life. No matter where you may find yourself in this season, choose to trust God’s timeline for your life and seek His will for when and if these desires are indeed His will. Submitting the timeline to God can be challenging, but at the end of the day, He knows what’s best for us. 

Prayer: God, I choose to trust Your timing. Please show me where I have allowed the world’s timelines to taint my belief in Yours. I choose to trust Your plan and let patience have its perfect work in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures: 1 Samuel 8:1-22, Psalms 84:11, Hebrews 12:2

One thing I’ve realized about discontentment is that we often don’t know what we are asking for. Much of our dissatisfaction comes from the belief that life would be better if we had certain things that we have esteemed to be better than our present reality. Because we have fixated our eyes on something other than Jesus, this posture leads us to sometimes settle for something that may not be the will of God for our lives. We must realize that, as the old saying goes, “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.” 

Israel fell subject to discontentment, leading them to settle for something outside of the will of God in 1 Samuel 8 when Israel demanded a king. The Lord never designed for Israel to have a king, but seeing the other nations who had kings, they desired what they thought would suit them. Despite warnings from the Lord, Israel was fixated on having a king, and God granted their request, leading to the kingship of Saul, who had the aesthetics of a king. Eventually, Saul would be rejected as king in favor of David, whom God described as a man after God’s own heart. A question to ponder is, “What king have I crowned in my life higher than the King of kings?” 

When we feel discontent about how life is or begin to compare what we have to others, we must refocus on what God desires for our lives. This re-centering on God’s desire for our lives requires us to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in our lives. Trusting Jesus as Lord helps us understand that He knows what is best for us and will not withhold anything good from those who walk upright (Psalm 84:11). When we can acknowledge this truth and put Christ in His rightful place in our lives, our discontentment ceases to exist. This is not to suggest that you will not have moments of discontent or dissatisfaction, but instead to encourage you to redirect your eyes to the author and finisher of our faith and trust that what He has for you is better than what you desire. 

Prayer: Lord, help me focus on what You desire for my life, not what I have esteemed to be better. I trust that what You have for me is better than what I think I want. I choose today to trust Your plan for my life and battle discontentment by centering my attention back to You, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scriptures: Genesis 37:3-36, Genesis 40:5-23, Genesis 41:9-41, Genesis 50:18-21

If there is one person in the Bible who could relate to this kind of discontentment, it would be Joseph. Joseph had a dream that he shares with his brothers that he would one day rule over them. Now, I understand that this is a very prideful thing to remark to your older brothers, but follow me. This same Joseph, who has a God-given dream, is eventually left for dead by his brothers, sold into slavery, and thrown into prison following false accusations by Potiphar’s wife. To this point, this doesn’t look much like ruling over anything. 

While in prison, Joseph meets a baker and butler who have dreams. The same Joseph who had a dream that he has not yet seen come to fruition is tasked with interpreting the dreams of others and watches what he has interpreted come to pass for them. It wasn’t so good for the baker but stay with me. The butler’s dream results in his release from prison, and Joseph tells him to remember him. The Bible says nearly two years passed before the butler remembers him. 

In short, Joseph is eventually remembered by the butler when Pharaoh is searching for someone to interpret his dreams. When called upon, Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh and is placed in charge of ensuring humanity is saved by being over the resources and eventually saves his family, including the brothers who left him for dead. When recalling the events with his brothers, Joseph states, “What the enemy meant for evil, God meant it for good.” 

Throughout this journey, the Bible never mentions Joseph complaining or feeling discontent once. I find it hard to believe that if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t have complained once. I can imagine being in prison day after day, wondering where God is and perhaps losing sight of the dream God gave. I imagine inner conversations after a while being something like this. “I shouldn’t even be here. God, why do I have to speak over everyone else’s dream and yet haven’t seen mine?” 

As previously mentioned, the enemy would love for your discontentment to keep you from experiencing the life that God has for you. It can be hard to go through life having unfulfilled expectations and not seeing the life you thought you would have. Perhaps you believed you would be married by now, yet you are still single. Or maybe you went to college thinking that once you got that degree, you could obtain a high-paying job, yet you can’t even obtain employment in your field. I want to encourage you that God wastes nothing. 

Maybe the process doesn’t look promising right now, and you may have difficulty finding God in the middle of the situation. However, I encourage you to change your perspective and give God glory in the middle of the process. Joseph gave God glory when interpreting the dreams, highlighting that God gives him the ability to interpret the dreams. He did not allow any discontentment to keep him from doing what God had gifted him to do. You may not see it yet but trust that the God who gave you the dream is faithful to see it through. Joseph provides an example for us all to glean from. Despite the discontentment you may currently be experiencing, continue to give God the glory and trust that He will provide. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to trust You even when I can’t trace You. Help me remember that You order my steps and light my path. Lord, I believe that my discontentment is not an indication of my destiny but an opportunity to praise You. Thank You for turning what the enemy meant for evil for my good. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures: Job 1, Job 2:1-10, Job 13:15, Romans 8:28

While Joseph is a great example, Job is the poster child for discontentment. The story of Job requires a perspective shift to understand genuinely; even then, we may have a hard time accepting it. In Job’s story, we see that he is a blameless and upright man who feared God and shunned evil. One day, Satan approaches God and says that he has been roaming the earth. God then asks Satan if he has considered his servant Job. 

After some back and forth, God says that Satan can touch all that he has, but don’t touch him. In a catastrophic turn of events, Job then loses his children and all of his property. Job provides an example of how to respond in Job 1:22 when it says, “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” 

In Job 2, a similar thing happens, but this time, God tells Satan he can touch his body but spare his life. Job is then struck with boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Again, Job takes the posture for us to glean from after his wife suggests that he curse God and die when it says in Job 2:10: “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” 

For nearly forty chapters, Job deals with the repercussions of God’s invitation for Satan to affect Job’s life. In this time, we would see Job give us quotes like, “Though He slays me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15). ” It isn’t until Job 42 (verses 12-13) that we see the Lord blessing the later days of Job more than his beginning. 

We need to remember that Satan had to ask permission to even tempt Job with what he was able to do to him. I don’t share Job’s story to suggest that God is responsible for what you may be experiencing but to help you understand that no matter what is happening, God is still in control. The greater perspective in this that may be hard for you to receive is that Job came highly recommended. God recommended Job to show Satan that there are people who trust God, whether Satan touches their stuff, their family, or even their health. In the end, Job becomes even more blessed in his latter years. That’s a promise worth trusting God for! 

As you ponder your own situation, I pray you can trust God even when the circumstances suggest the absence of God. Romans 8:28 tells us that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. We may not understand why things are happening to us, but we must choose to trust God in the middle of the storms. Our faith in God has to be bigger than the stuff, the dream, the plan, etc. I know this day may have been tough to agree with, but I pray you continue as I provide more practical steps to address discontentment over the next few days. 

Prayer: Lord, help me shift my perspective to understand that You cause all things to work together and that You waste nothing. I may not understand how or why I feel this way, but I choose to trust You. I trust You over the reality of my circumstances and my feelings. I know that You will never leave nor forsake me; this is just an opportunity to give You glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures: Hebrews 4:15, Luke 22:39-44, Matthew 26:36-42

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. That description is talking about Jesus, who was tempted in every way that we have. That is right; Jesus had moments of discontentment with the purpose of His life. When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed three times that the Father would remove the cup from Him if there were any other way. The cup He refers to symbolizes suffering and divine judgment, as this is the moment in which Jesus acknowledges that He must endure the cross for our sins. 

Up to this point, Jesus has performed all the miracles, preached the Word, and revealed Himself to be the Christ to His disciples, yet the tallest task He has to deal with is now becoming a reality. It has become so real to Him that as He prays, His sweat becomes like drops of blood. Each time Jesus asks if the cup can be removed, He ends with a phrase that has to become our posture as we wrestle with discontentment. Jesus always responds to the Father, “Nonetheless, not my will but yours.” 

I want to encourage you through the account of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane that even though Jesus desired another way to fulfill His assignment, He saw you and me and said, “Nonetheless, not my will but yours.” He saw the discontentment we would experience, the struggles we would endure, and the need for our salvation, and said, “For them, I will endure this cup.” 

I pray that we can learn from the example of our Savior that when discontentment in our lives comes, we can say, “Lord, not as I will but as You will.” We have these grand plans and visions for what life should be like, but we must take a step back and consult the Father for His will for our lives. When we refocus our eyes on Him, we will find that ultimate satisfaction is found in Him. 

Prayer: Lord, help me redirect my focus to Your will for my life. I acknowledge that what You desire for my life may not be convenient, but I trust You nonetheless. Even in moments of discontentment, I choose to trust what You desire for my life. As You modeled in the garden, I will respond not my will but Yours be done. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures: Philippians 4:11-13, 1 Timothy 6:6-8, John 1:1-5, John 1:14, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

In this devotional, I took the long way home to show a passage of scripture that guides us in dealing with discontentment. It’s a very familiar scripture passage that you may have heard. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When you read the verse in context, you will see that this is not a call to achieving the most athletic thing ever or lifting the heaviest object. It’s actually about contentment. 

In the verses prior, Paul shares that he has learned to be content in whatever state he is in. He says that he has learned to be abased and to abound, to be full and to suffer need. Because of this posture and recognition of Christ, he can do all things. This is important for us as believers to acknowledge because, as Paul would later point out to Timothy, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” 

Contentment is found in Jesus. I would argue that the source of much of our discontentment is placing our desires above our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Until we can consistently put Jesus on the thrones of our lives, we will wrestle with discontentment. So, I urge you to seek Him and His will for your life consistently. The quicker you are able to place Him back in His rightful place, the sooner the discontentment you may be experiencing will disappear. 

Because of this realization, I want to emphasize the importance of valuing the Word of God highly. We understand through John 1 that Jesus is the Word, and I would suggest that when you value the Word highly, it is hard to fall victim to the enemy’s schemes, including discontentment. In times of trouble or feelings of discontentment, it is vital to find a verse in the Word to anchor yourself to. Wherever there is a need, there is a verse. God left us the gift of His Word so we would never be lost. We must cling to the Word as our weapon to combat the lies of the enemy. 

I pray that you have undergone a spiritual transformation and perspective shift as a result of reading this devotional. Remember that moments of discontentment with life are not an indicator of your destiny but rather an opportunity to give God glory. When those thoughts, moments, or seasons of discontent arise, choose to put God on the throne of your heart, take every thought captive, and make it obedient to God.