Moment With Betty

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

Do yourself a favor and spend a moment reflecting on the narrative you embrace about yourself. Are you undermining your happiness with the nonstop drive to be exceptional?  We spend most of our lives being exposed to the extraordinary and the exceptional. Our social media timelines consist of accomplishments and milestones. We rarely see the average in the spotlight, instead we witness the greatest of feats, the best of the best, the worst of the worst from the media.

We hear the funniest memes, experience the most upsetting news, the scariest threats, etc. This mass media driven exceptionalism has developed the narrative that being average is failing. Some people are so disgusted with being ordinary that rather than be content with life, they become victims of their own misery, just to be in their own league. Even though the mass majority is in fact not exceptional and extraordinary, we chase it according to societal standards. Let’s be honest, it takes a ridiculous amount of time and dedication to become skillful in a particular craft. So let’s become exceptional at practicing contentment with God in every season. 

Do you realize that God has already made you spiritually enriched? So don’t let the pressures of earthly awards weigh you down. Have you invited Jesus to be the center of your universe? God has supplied us with everything that we need: His grace, His word, and His spirit. Let’s pray for gratitude and contentment in our lives. 

Think of the millions of homeless people or those living under oppression. To them, your “average life” would be described as extraordinary. We see millions of others pointing to the more fortunate, but are blind to the billions of people wanting our lives. It’s all equivocal. However, if we would just relax our mind and body and base our happiness internally and not externally, we wouldn’t succumb to feelings of lack. When we rely on external factors, we’re searching for happiness for what we think it consists of. We should perpetuate our discontentment and free ourselves from such earthly expectations and attachments. Find satisfaction with where you are already. It doesn’t mean that everything will be dandy but it’s enough for now. Accepting Jesus Christ in your life will make it enough. Contentment in every season is the key to happiness.

True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything you have -Oscar Wilde

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for -Epicurus

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13