“I can’t wait till my kids are bigger.”

“I’ll be happy when I have more money.”

“If only I had less clutter, more stylish clothes, a bigger house, a new car…then I’d be happy.”

Our lives as homemakers are full. Full of blessings, full of life, full of chaos…and full of hope. We look forward to the future and anticipate joys to experience, plans to orchestrate, and even problems to fix.

We look ahead to where we’re going.

But if we’re not careful, we can start to live there. We put our hope in tomorrow. We link our peace to the next shiny circumstance or thing around the corner.

We think that if we have “x,” we’ll be happy.

But as our excitement for the future grows, our contentment can start to wane.

We can get so fixated on having the next thing that we start to lose our joy, our peace, and today’s purpose.

Mama, if this is you, I want to share some encouragement. If you are feeling discontent, I want to share with you some perspective.

And it starts where all real truth starts.

In Scripture.

A misinterpreted verse.

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.“

This is a well-known verse, one that you’ve probably heard quoted many times.

People use this verse in a lot of ways and with a lot of agendas. They might use it as a “pump-up” verse for playing sports or achieving career success.

However, while this verse does encourage us that we can do all things through Christ, we need to look at the context for clarity.

The two verses before this one shed some light on its meaning. They say, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Phil. 4:11-12).

According to BibleStudyTools.com, to be content is “[t]o be free from care because of satisfaction with what is already one’s own.”¹

Remarkably, Paul, a prisoner bound in chains, said that he had learned the secret of being content in every circumstance. He could be “free from care” whether life was hard or easy, when he had a lot and when he had a little.

How?

Through Christ.

He could be content even in a prison cell…through Christ.

He who is in us – who lives through us – is our only hope for goodness and righteousness. He empowers us to love Him, to love others, and yes…to be content in every circumstance.

So how does this apply to us homemakers?

Mama, the future can be exciting. It can be good to anticipate what’s coming, to plan, and be proactive. All of these things can be good and right.

However, when we believe we can only be content when we have x, y, or z, we have taken our eyes off Jesus. We have forgotten that HE empowers us to be content today, no matter the circumstance.

We can be content when our house is messy. We can be content when our house is clean.

We can be content when our kids are healthy. We can be content when someone has a cold.

We can be content when we have extra cash. We can be content when money is tight.

We can be content when people think well of us. We can be content when we feel left out.

Our Savior Jesus is with us, so our circumstances don’t get to dictate our peace.

How to practice contentment.

So how does this look practically? How do we practice contentment today?

Great question!

Here are a few thoughts.

Spend time with Jesus.

Remember who Jesus is and what He’s done for you. He is the answer to our struggle for contentment. As we abide in Him, He bears much fruit in us (Jn. 15).

Remember the riches you’ve been given!

Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

We who know Christ have been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We are rich indeed.

Look forward to Heaven.

One day, God will make everything right. Look forward to this day. Long for it. This world is not all there is, so today doesn’t have to be perfect or totally satisfying. It can’t be.

We have a better hope, a greater joy, and a thirst-quenching water for our heart (Jn. 4).

Give thanks.

Give thanks for what God has done for you. Be satisfied in Him, the One who gives you strength!

Be slower to buy.

It can be tempting to buy things to feel more content and at peace. But that’s a lie. Let’s go to God for peace and then live in light of that.

Take care of what you already have.

See everything you have as a gift from God. Steward it well out of thankfulness to God. P.S. Taking care of your things gives you a sense of pride and thankfulness in them. You value what you steward well.

Surrender your future to God.

Trust the Lord for what’s next. Surrender your hopes and plans to Him. He knows best.

Serve others.

Hebrews 11:25 says, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”

So serve others. Focus on others, and you will find that you yourself are encouraged and enriched.

We who know Jesus can, like Paul, be content in every circumstance. And it’s not about mustering up enough strength and resolve to do so.

It’s because of our Rescuer, the One who lives in us. He helps us, equips us, and lives in us (Gal. 2:20). Because our hearts are settled in Him, messes, meltdowns, and mysteries don’t have to unsettle us.

We can be at peace. We can rest from our worries.

We can be content…through Christ.

1. Orr, J. (1915). Content; contentment meaning – bible definition and references. Bible Study Tools. https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/content-contentment/ ↩︎