My Word for 2020!

Here I am. In the still darkness of my baby girls nursery… Listening to the rain from her sound machine and her steady breaths as she sleeps on my chest… I can solve ALL the problems right here! Rocking in this same rocking chair I’ve rocked all 3 of my babies in over the last 6 years… everything seems so simple. So easy! So black and white. Cut and dry. 

But y’all! Us women… Man! I tell you what! I know we all struggle with our own things. We all have our own secret problems. But, I’m just going to let the cat out of my own bag. Everybody ok with that? I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to me! You’re just along for the ride.

Can I just give you a word. A word that has me by the throat. A word that can suck the joy straight out of me in 2.5 seconds flat. A word that has been so hard for me to figure out. A word that I feel like I’m the only one struggling with. A beautiful word! A word that can change your life if you figure out how to grasp. How to embrace. How to live by. And my word for 2020… By God’s mercy and grace, I’m claiming it!

Contentment!

There! I said it! Shew! I thought I’d never get it out! That was a solid build up, right? I had to paint the picture. 

But, on a serious note. Man, I struggle with this. The stigma that comes with mom life. The steady need to always want to be perfect. In my house. As a mom. As a wife. A teacher. A friend. A daughter. A SAHM. A church member. A Sunday School teacher. All of it. All the things!

Do you want me to tell you what has not made me content?

Stuff!

Stuff has never been the answer. Not once! I can watch all the IG influencers I want. And, I can order their “favorites of the month”. Guess what? Still not content. I could have the trendiest closet in town and still not be content. A perfectly decorated house with all the shiplap and chippy paint I could want. Nope! Still doesn’t do it! Stuff is not the answer… 

You know what the opposite of contentment is, right? Another c word… Covetousness! 

Here is some advice. Straight from the mouth of Jesus!

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”‭‭ Luke‬ ‭12:15‬

This is a warning! Your success in life isn’t based on how much stuff you have. Or for that matter, how expensive your stuff is.

Studying through the life of Joseph recently I literally stood in awe! Mouth gaping and all! Every day. The more I read the more I realized I longed to be that content. That full of faith. That trusting. That positive. A boy that went through so much. That lost so much. And yet in every trial, every setback, he stayed calm and he found a way to be content. A way to live for God in the midst of some heavy burdens. I encourage y’all to go study his life! It truly is amazing and very inspiring! He knew. Listen to this verse. He had contentment figured out!

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”‭‭ Genesis‬ ‭50:20‬

My little mind just can’t comprehend the vastness of that verse! 
So, here are a few ways I jotted down that I plan to just be content…

1. Spend intentional time with God daily. He’s the only place you can find true contentment! -Talk to Him.  -Read His word. -Have a conversation with somebody else about Him. -I guarantee, if I talked to God about my problems as much as I thought about them… I’d have a solution. And the problems probably wouldn’t seem as big.
2. Put your phone down! -Set limits to the time you spend on social media and your phone everyday! -There isn’t a whole lot on your phone that’s going to help you in your journey to becoming and staying content.
3. Realize that life isn’t a competition! -Who has the better house or clothes or kids or husband or job or hair. 
4. God gave you everything you have! He gave it to you! Not anyone else! Just you!
5. Figure out how to use what God gave you and where he has placed you! You didn’t land here by accident. 

So, 2020… Here’s to being content and not covetous! Full of faith! Trusting in God! And having a positive outlook. After all, God placed me in this exact spot. It’s not by chance or coincidence that I am where I am. God has a perfect plan and I’m here for him to use to accomplish it! 

Don’t worry! There are more posts coming on “contentment”! 😉