I Have Learned To Be Content 4 Ways On How You Can Too

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I have learned to be content in all things and YES it was freakin hard.  Learning to be content in all things no matter what your situation is very difficult.  As a Christian it sounds all nice in the sense that we should be content with what God gave us in whatever situation we are in. But the reality can be very different.  Different in the sense that you can want more money, a better job, a relationship or to be in a better situation and it is hard to be content when you hate the world around you.

I have wrote about choosing to be happy you can click here to read my blog on that. Knowing that happiness can be a choice no matter what is happening. Yes this is hard to digest but once you have learned to be content in all things then you have mastered life.  And that is when more good will come to you. Because life is going to happen to you, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes horrific.

And sometimes they will be things that you can control and sometimes they will be things that you cannot control.  And if you allow those things to jack up your whole way of being then not only are you NOT content but you are allowing the world around you to dictate your mood and how you feel about your life. You can check out the time I was struggling to make ends meet even at a college graduate.  It was terrible (click here). But it was in that season that I learned to be content in all things.  One thing that I said in my single mom’s book was this:

As a single mother, I have gone through so many things, especially when it came to money. I never really got a steady stream of child support, mainly because my child’s father was in prison for seven years after my son was born. After I got laid off from my job, the only emotion I felt was FEAR and ANXIETY. I felt fear when I heard a truck in my neighborhood, thinking they were coming to turn the lights off because I was late paying my utilities. 

I felt fear over not knowing how I was going to get food or pay my son’s tuition so that he could keep going to school. I was a nervous wreck about any and everything. Because everything was going so wrong, and I did not know what tomorrow would bring, I felt fear and anxiety. All of the time. Even though that was a hard time in my life, I literally lacked for nothing. We always had something to eat, and I had the basic utilities that I needed. I feared, because I did not know. I did not know how, when, or what, so that made me afraid. But despite the fact that was a terrible time in my life I would NEVER want to repeat, it was the time in my life where I learned not to fear. 

The Bible teaches us: 

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

 This was a hard lesson to learn. Even when I had no job, when it took me so long to get another one, and when I was underpaid and still struggling. It took years to get to a spot where I did not feel like I was broke all of the time. But in the midst of that emotion, I stopped fearing. I learned that no matter how many things were not going the way I wanted them to, worrying did not change anything, nor did it get me anywhere.

 “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:27 

What does worrying get you? It almost got me a nervous breakdown, and I am not being funny. I was a nervous wreck. But what can you change by worrying? If they were going to turn my lights off, then they were going to turn my lights off. Me worrying was not going to fix that. What was going to fix it was trusting in God. Because God was the one that provided for me the entire time, despite my worrying and nervousness.

As Christian’s God calls us to be in the world but not of the world (click here to read my blog). God never promises that because we are Christians that everything is always going to go our way and nothing bad is never going to happen to us.  In fact if you read the Bible most people that are of God have faced some type of hardship one way or the next. So no you are not exempt but God does require us to be content.

Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances. I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need. Philippians 4:11-12

1. I Have Learned To Be Content In all Things By Trusting God

I have learned to be content but the key to learning how to be content in all things is that you have to trust to God.  No matter what, that He will bring you through a bad situation, or that the bad situation you are in is for a reason. People tend to have trouble being content in the bad situations because they fear the unknown. But fear is not perfected in love (read my blog here).

When I was in the above situations that is what I liked to call the wilderness season and although I didn’t like it, I  learned contentment because there was nothing that I could do to change it and so all I could do was to trust God because that was all I could do.  You can view my video below to see about my wilderness season and click here to subscribe to my channel.

If you know that God loves you, then know that everything will work out according to His plan. And also know that God’s plan may not be your plan, His plan may not look like what you want it to look like right now, His plan may be the opposite of your plan. But you know simply because God loves you that whatever the situation  good, bad, or indifferent that God has got your  back and even if things seems like they are bad now then know that eventually it will turn into good and even the bad will turn out to work out for your greater good.

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. Romans 8:28 

You will start to worry and have anxiety over why things are happening to you and subconsciously you are telling God that you do not trust what He is doing or do not trust Him to get you out of whatever it is that you are going through.  So what we have learned here is being content and trusting God goes hand and hand.

Because as long as you have trust in God, even if things are bad you will be content because you know God wants the best for you and not the worse and if He is allowing something to happen then it is for a reason.  So an affirmation that you have to tell yourself is I have learned to be content because I trust God unconditionally no matter what I am going through or what situation I am in.  Good or bad.

2. I have Learned To Be Content In all Things By Not Letting Outside Things Influence you.

I have learned to be content by not letting the outside in. I say this so many times in my blog. I talked about this in my daddy issues blog (click here), my people talking behind your back blog (click here), and my accepting the things I cannot change blog (click here). You cannot control other people you can control yourself. You cannot control how people treat you, what they do to you, or what happens to you (to an extent that is). So if you cannot control it then why allow it to steal your joy.

Like I said in my above situations is that me feeling anxiety and fear did not do anything at all but make the situation worse.  Was I going to allow worry to stop me from being content? And if I did what would it have helped?

And which of you by worrying can add one hour to his life’s span? So if you are not even able to do a very little thing [such as that], why are you worried about the rest? Luke 12:25

You cannot be controlled by outside things because if that is the case you will always be affected by something and you will always be discontent about something.  So instead of sitting there being down about things that you cannot control just choose to ignore them and choose to be content anyway. Knowing that all your needs one way or another are being provided for and even if you feel like they aren’t, worrying is not going to change that. Also check out my video down below on how not to give a crap.

3. I have learned to Be Content In All Things By Realizing things are not that bad.

I have learned to be content. You could be sitting here right now with $0 in your bank account wondering where your next meal is coming from.  Even though that is bad I can show you somebody in the world that does not even have a bank account and has not eaten in 3 days. If you think that is bad I can show you someone that has it even worse. I remember when I was complaining about loosing my job I was watching the Trinity Broadcast network and saw James Robinson Feed the children initiative and the one where in some parts of the world they don’t even have clean water.

In that moment God spoke to me to tell me that my life was not that bad because on even given day I could go to my water fountain and get clean water. And even the homeless shelters in America have clean water and food.  The same things that you are complaining about someone wishes that they have.  Sometimes you have to put things into perspective and realize that things are not that bad and even if they are that bad, tell yourself things can only go up from here.

Learning to be content means that you must learn that you have to choose to be thankful for what you do have no matter what you situation is, because more than likely there is someone out there that has it ten times worse and would LOVE to be in your position and would love to have what you have. So be thankful for what you do have and also try to improve upon what you do have instead of focusing what you don’t.

4. I have learned to Be Content in All Things By Learning To Control Your Mouth

Your words have power (click to read my blog) and you can also watch my video down below. If you are always negative speaking about how much things suck then that is what your life is going to be. A bunch of things that suck because that is what you are speaking into existence.  If you choose to speak positive and speak positive things into existence then things can change for you.  Saying things like yeah it may not be great now but it will be, gives you hope.

And it gives you the trust in God that things will get better.  But complaining about it, getting angry about it, and always speaking crazy about it will not do anything but make you a negative person. Which is the opposite of content.  So watch your tongue and learn to be content with that you say out of your mouth. For what comes out of the mouth is what is in the heart (click to read my blog).

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]. Ephesians 4:21

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Therefore, know that your words have power and you can speak life or death. And if you tell yourself how much your life sucks and how unhappy you are, you will never be content. But changing your words you will learn to feel content and speak encouragement to yourself even if you don’t feel wonderful. The more you speak positive, you will be positive. Learn to be content in all things.  It is possible and once you learn it you will see how things start to turn around for you. Do not be easily swayed by your emotion, but be stable, clear headed, and content. No matter what your situation.

If you know someone who may need to read this post go ahead and encourage them and share this post with them, plus check out my Christian Manifestation guide full of positive affirmations and Bible verses for each affirmation that will help you speak life into your situation.  Click here to buy.