Last weekend, a good friend and I chatted about contentment with life over a couple of martinis.
Sparked by a conversation with "C"
"Content with life, never" I said with a boyish grin. "Contentment is giving up on life's passion and quest for the answers to the questions that God hasn't revealed yet and honestly may never. I won't give in to being content with the life I have, I will strive to be the best and will never give up. It's my belief that God wants us not to be content, but to use this unstableness to achieve the greatness he's instilled in each of our souls." I said to "C"
Each of us makes mistakes pursuing what we think we may need or want in life. It's at those times that we have the choice to stay content or move to that next moment. Being content would not allow us those mistakes or wrong steps, therefore not shaping our soul in becoming the best we can be and really only maintaining that single moment in time.
It's that courage deep inside of us to leap from the comfortable life in order to make mistakes or to create a new chapter in our life. Either one leads to an experience that will shape who we are in this life. God may want us to be content in order to allow him to guide us along his chosen path, but then what of free will. We have been given one of the greatest gifts of all... CHOICE.
I can choose to be content with life, to not follow the passion or drive within my soul but where does that lead? To happiness? I'm not sure it would, for me my parents died leaving me many questions on my past and presented me many choices along this journey whether to be content or not. I've chosen not to be content, and with one of those choices came this blog.
I want to be the best father, husband, friend, writer, musician, and the list goes on. God gave me many blessings, am I content with the known ones... not a chance. I will pursue pushing myself through the stages of contentment in order to someday achieve happiness. Or is it that pure contentment in life is the sign of happiness?
"C" sent me a note this morning... "it's about learning to be content in letting God lead the way and Him determining my path as opposed to me trying to figure it all out on my own. I believe
He still wants us to strive to work hard and do better and better, but we
need to be content to let Him determine the path."
I've never thought of it that way.. that God wants us to be content in order for him to determine the path. Many times I've said to God - "take the wheel it's all yours, show me what to do next", it's from hearing this "song" while having a bad day. So maybe I've been mistaken, if I would have been content would the path have been laid out for me rather than me searching and searching for it? Or maybe the path is for me not to be content with life - Ever.
