So, Does Contentment Mean Giving Up?

OK, I've been circling around the idea of contentment as the antidote to the ill-effects that our insecurities can cause in our lives.  And I remember, that there was a moment when I was pondering whether contentment meant giving up...after reviewing a couple of Bible passages that spoke to me about contentment, I have to conclude, that when it comes to it being able to keep our insecurities in check, the answer is:  yes.

However, I don't mean giving up in the sense of quitting on your hopes and dreams.  What I discovered is that contentment means, in practical terms, giving up on our desire to define ourselves.

As much as I'd like to take credit for this idea, I really can't.  Of course not!  The thing is that we were in Sunday school a couple of weeks ago talking about the trials of Joseph in Genesis, and how he stayed faithful to God, trusting His provision and His plan, regardless of how different his life turned out to be than the way he had probably envisioned it when he was running around his father's estate wearing that fancy, multicolored coat of his...anyway, at that Sunday school session, Dan said it:  "we need to accept that God defines us.  We need to give up our desire to define ourselves."

That totally brought me back to my meditations regarding my insecurities.  Of course, that's the one thing I have to give up:  the desire to define myself and accept God's plan for me.

God designed a plan for my life based on the way He designed me...His plan fits me!  It is custom-made to my specs.  There is no way I am not going to be able to meet His expectations since He is the Designer and Creator.  He knows all about me...and His plan for me takes into account all of me.

WOW!  Mind blowing!

On the other hand, I try to fit into a pattern of my own creation, when I don't even know myself all that well, let alone all the details that need to come into place for anything to work out the way it should.  It's as if I thought that only because I have been inside a skyscraper, I'm suddenly qualified to design and build one of my own.

Hence, the lack of contentment.  Why do I feel so disqualified and inadequate to design and build a skyscraper?  I can't understand it?  I've been to Chicago and New York!  I've been inside some of the most impressive buildings, why am I failing at this task?

I have no peace...my insecurities flare at the slightest sign of failure...I have no satisfaction with the way things are going...because I keep insisting on doing things my way...which is often, not God's way.

I need to surrender my desire to define myself and let God be the God of who I am!

Sigh...

So, does contentment mean giving up?  In my humble opinion: Yes!  What do you think?