These thoughts have been milling around in my head for a few weeks now. Actually I think the thought was much better formed then, than now - since I have lost some of my original thoughts....how is that for the largest run on sentence you have ever seen!?
For some reason when I was driving - see I get a lot of that time with my job -
I was mulling over, the contrast/comparision or possible similarities with being
content with your life, or just giving up and settling for what you got.
"Settling" for something just has such a negative connotation in our society these days.
So first - in true fashion of one of my favorite pastors, I went to Webster's dictionary and thesarus first......
Content:
Definition: happy, agreeable
Synonyms: appeased, at ease, can't complain, comfortable, complacent, contented, fat dumb and happy, fulfilled, gratified, pleased as punch, satisfied, smug, tickled pink*, willing
Settle:
Definition: straighten out, resolve
Synonyms: achieve, adjudicate, adjust, appoint, arrange, call the shots*, choose, cinch, clean up, clear, clear up, clinch, come to a conclusion, come to a decision, come to an agreement, complete, concert, conclude, confirm, decide, determine, discharge, dispose, end, establish, figure, fix, form judgment, judge, make a decision, make certain, mediate, nail down*, negotiate, order, pay, put an end to, put into order, reconcile, regulate, rule, satisfy, seal, set to rights, square, verify, work out
I don't know why but I just keep thinking, do we have to "settle" for a situation before we can become content in it? Does being content mean we never again want to change that certain thing, or do we again at some point have to become discontent again and institute a change?
I know God wants us to see the good in all things, and be content with our lives, but I also know He does not want us to "roll over and play dead". He allowed us free will for a reason. I do not think He would give it to us without expecting us to use it.
Do we have to be content to be happy, or can we "settle" for a situation and be happy in it?
But I do believe to be truly honestly happy in life, we do have to be content with what we have.
Does that mean lower our standards, so as not to expect so much, then we can be content with what we have? Or striving to get what we want and then be content with it?
I do think society's standards these days do place emphasis on many things that most average Joe's will never achieve, and many people spend their lives wishing for what they don't have, and then perhaps stealing their own joy. I don't think striving to acheive goals is a bad thing, unless those goals are unrealistic or based on vanity, coveting or other things of that sort. While initially I was uncomfortable with the idea of lowering your standards, in order to acheive happiness, I slowly and coming to terms to thinking of it as "learning to live within your means". Maybe it means being more realisitc with ourselves and realizing we CAN be happy without "having it all" - every single thing we want, rather than just what we need.
Does learning to be content with what we have mean we should never strive to improve, grow and gain more?
I love how the thesarus gave "fat, dumb and happy" , and "pleased as punch" as synonyms for content.
Does a "fat, dumb and happy" cat, with a full tummy and warm bed, stop hunting? No - because sooner or later he will be hungry again. Does he take a few minutes to relish the full feeling, lounge in a sunbeam and take a nap? Sure. But he does get hungry again.
And I think as humans, we too, get hungry again - in our case it is usually in a less concrete way. So I guess I am saying, yes we can be content, and yet still at some later time, again decide to make some changes. Life is not static. It does not stay the same forever. As long as the things we decide to strive for are not based on things like pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. I did not originally list all of these but in writing it realized, I was really commenting about the 7 deadly sins. See a comparision there? Desires based on any of these emotions will certainly steal your happiness and cause discontentment.
Can we be content with things we have to "settle" for - I think so. because if you really step back and take a look at it, sometimes what we consider "Settling" is simply a lesser but totally adequate answer to that need.
Gee- I really want that $400,00 6 bedroom house at the end of the cul-de-sac, but I will "settle" for the less expensive, pretty house in the smaller development. The smaller house most certainly meets my familiy's needs, perhaps it just does not satisfy my larger pipe dream. Do I NEED to live in the huge house to be happy. Certainly not.
We can chose to be happy and content with anything. it is just in the matter in which you look at it. Could I chose to move into the smaller house with bitterness and spend my time constantly looking up the road at the larger house, make myself miserable day in and day out? Or could I chose to turn around, make my home into "mine" , make it warm and happy for my children and be content there?
See the difference?
I think we do need to "settle" on a situation - at Websters says, "come to a conclusion, make a decision" - on something, before we can truly be "content". So perhaps the two do go hand in hand. When we step back and really look at our reason for "wanting" something, or wanting to be something, we can realize most likely it is because we are envious of someone else, or too prideful to admit we can't afford a certain item that our neighbor has, and such.
So I am not sure if I have answered my own questions. I am not even totally sure where this stuff in my brain comes from...but it does....
If only I can be sure this is a lesson I teach my children.
For some reason when I was driving - see I get a lot of that time with my job -
I was mulling over, the contrast/comparision or possible similarities with being
content with your life, or just giving up and settling for what you got.
"Settling" for something just has such a negative connotation in our society these days.
So first - in true fashion of one of my favorite pastors, I went to Webster's dictionary and thesarus first......
Content:
Definition: happy, agreeable
Synonyms: appeased, at ease, can't complain, comfortable, complacent, contented, fat dumb and happy, fulfilled, gratified, pleased as punch, satisfied, smug, tickled pink*, willing
Settle:
Definition: straighten out, resolve
Synonyms: achieve, adjudicate, adjust, appoint, arrange, call the shots*, choose, cinch, clean up, clear, clear up, clinch, come to a conclusion, come to a decision, come to an agreement, complete, concert, conclude, confirm, decide, determine, discharge, dispose, end, establish, figure, fix, form judgment, judge, make a decision, make certain, mediate, nail down*, negotiate, order, pay, put an end to, put into order, reconcile, regulate, rule, satisfy, seal, set to rights, square, verify, work out
I don't know why but I just keep thinking, do we have to "settle" for a situation before we can become content in it? Does being content mean we never again want to change that certain thing, or do we again at some point have to become discontent again and institute a change?
I know God wants us to see the good in all things, and be content with our lives, but I also know He does not want us to "roll over and play dead". He allowed us free will for a reason. I do not think He would give it to us without expecting us to use it.
Do we have to be content to be happy, or can we "settle" for a situation and be happy in it?
But I do believe to be truly honestly happy in life, we do have to be content with what we have.
Does that mean lower our standards, so as not to expect so much, then we can be content with what we have? Or striving to get what we want and then be content with it?
I do think society's standards these days do place emphasis on many things that most average Joe's will never achieve, and many people spend their lives wishing for what they don't have, and then perhaps stealing their own joy. I don't think striving to acheive goals is a bad thing, unless those goals are unrealistic or based on vanity, coveting or other things of that sort. While initially I was uncomfortable with the idea of lowering your standards, in order to acheive happiness, I slowly and coming to terms to thinking of it as "learning to live within your means". Maybe it means being more realisitc with ourselves and realizing we CAN be happy without "having it all" - every single thing we want, rather than just what we need.
Does learning to be content with what we have mean we should never strive to improve, grow and gain more?
I love how the thesarus gave "fat, dumb and happy" , and "pleased as punch" as synonyms for content.
Does a "fat, dumb and happy" cat, with a full tummy and warm bed, stop hunting? No - because sooner or later he will be hungry again. Does he take a few minutes to relish the full feeling, lounge in a sunbeam and take a nap? Sure. But he does get hungry again.
And I think as humans, we too, get hungry again - in our case it is usually in a less concrete way. So I guess I am saying, yes we can be content, and yet still at some later time, again decide to make some changes. Life is not static. It does not stay the same forever. As long as the things we decide to strive for are not based on things like pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. I did not originally list all of these but in writing it realized, I was really commenting about the 7 deadly sins. See a comparision there? Desires based on any of these emotions will certainly steal your happiness and cause discontentment.
Can we be content with things we have to "settle" for - I think so. because if you really step back and take a look at it, sometimes what we consider "Settling" is simply a lesser but totally adequate answer to that need.
Gee- I really want that $400,00 6 bedroom house at the end of the cul-de-sac, but I will "settle" for the less expensive, pretty house in the smaller development. The smaller house most certainly meets my familiy's needs, perhaps it just does not satisfy my larger pipe dream. Do I NEED to live in the huge house to be happy. Certainly not.
We can chose to be happy and content with anything. it is just in the matter in which you look at it. Could I chose to move into the smaller house with bitterness and spend my time constantly looking up the road at the larger house, make myself miserable day in and day out? Or could I chose to turn around, make my home into "mine" , make it warm and happy for my children and be content there?
See the difference?
I think we do need to "settle" on a situation - at Websters says, "come to a conclusion, make a decision" - on something, before we can truly be "content". So perhaps the two do go hand in hand. When we step back and really look at our reason for "wanting" something, or wanting to be something, we can realize most likely it is because we are envious of someone else, or too prideful to admit we can't afford a certain item that our neighbor has, and such.
So I am not sure if I have answered my own questions. I am not even totally sure where this stuff in my brain comes from...but it does....
If only I can be sure this is a lesson I teach my children.
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