Happiness vs Contentment

All my life I have always heard that becoming a Christian is not a guarantee of happiness in our lives. This is something I know and am aware of, but sometimes I get so frustrated that I feel defeated in many areas of my life as a Christian. As I have struggled with this over and over again in my Christian walk, I have come to realize that perhaps I am confusing happiness with contentment. When I think of happiness, it seems that happiness is an emotion. Emotions come and go, overwhelm us, sometimes drive our actions and our thinking. An emotion is not something that we can will ourselves to be. I cannot make myself not feel sadness, fear, or despair, just as I cannot will myself to be happy in certain situations. I can pray for God to help me control those emotions when they do come, but I have little control about those emotions coming and going in my life.

In contrast, contentment--although sometimes confused with an emotion is not really a feeling at all. It is more a state of mind. In Philippians, Paul doesn't talk about happiness, he talks about contentment. Contentment is not something that we just naturally feel, such as happiness, fear, sadness, it is something that is learned. Therefore we must work to be content. Despite our best efforts we may not be able to control negative emotions or a lack of happiness in our lives, but if we learn to be content, we are able to have peace in all circumstances ...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Phil 4:11. Wow! I would much rather have God's promise of peace and contentment than to hope that I can keep the emotion of happiness flowing in my life.

As I get older, many of my ideas about the future are a little different that what I had planned. Sometimes I just cannot feel happy about those circumstances. What a relief it is knowing that we don't have to strive to "feel" happy in our circumstances. We just have to strive to "be" content in our circumstances. Emotions are going to come and go--some days we will be happy, some days we will be sad--God knows that---He created those emotions in us. I need to stop worrying about emotions that I do or don't have about a situation and focus on my state of mind. The call for all of us to BE CONTENT in all circumstances. Emotions are a part of life and sometimes, many times we cannot control emotions that come and go in our lives. What I can control is my relationship with my Heavenly Father, who wants me to continually seek contentment in my live and not to be discouraged or defeated when the emotion of happiness is not always how I feel in many of life situations!


Maybe instead of Don't worry, Be Happy.... we should say Don't worry, Be content!