The Secret of Contentment

Ah, contentment - a place where I am satisfied just 'being', and knowing that the grass is green enough where I am (even if it's more like straw in Wyoming).  For this future-oriented girl, that is one challenge. It creeps into many different facets of my life - from vocation to location.  I'll share one of those areas with you.

If you know me well, you know that one of my life long passions (that I proudly inherited from my dad) is to travel.  I never thought much of it growing up, as travel was the norm for our family. I didn't realize what a privilege it was to spend every school vacation (from short one-week breaks to long two-moth summer holidays) traveling to another country.  When the French border is only a 10 min. drive away, and you can get to the Mediterranean in Spain in an 8 hour car ride, it's not a big deal.  Frequently changing languages, foods, and currency (well, at least in the earlier traveling years before the Euro) was just normal.  We didn't have to be rich to experience this luxury - camping was our usual accommodation and I have some wonderful memories of those trips.

Before I go on, I need to say that I love living in Cheyenne and discovering this new part of the country. But I can easily get myself down about the fact that I don't have the same opportunities to travel as I once had.  The Mexican and Canadian borders are just not that accessible!  My craving for foreign customs and culture is often left unsatisfied.  It is tempting to complain, to wish it were different, to think that "I would be happier 'if only...' I could pop over to Rome or Barcelona for a day of sight-seeing".

So how does one find contentment in the midst of these unfulfilled desires?  I was sharing some of this with Jake the other day, and he lovingly pointed out to me that most of the world does not get to experience the luxury of travel.  He also gently reminded me that right now God has us here.  That does not mean that there won't be a time in the future where I may get opportunities to travel abroad (funny using that word when referring to home) again.  Regardless of what the future holds, God has me here, now.

What am I going to do with that?  How will my attitude impact my life and the lives of those around me?  I am reminded of Psalm 131 "(...)like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me."  A weaned child is content - content to rest against its' mother, not in need of her milk."  I desire to say, with Paul, "(...)I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Phil.4:12).  When I find myself in that place - thinking that the grass is greener on the other side, I need to remember to be thankful.  When I begin to thank God for what he has blessed me with here, and for what I have in Him, He changes my heart.  And I'd be willing to bet that if I were frolicking around the streets of London or Paris, well, the straw in Wyoming might start to look green!