Being Content Plus A Lesson Learned While Staying At A Hotel

Being Content is difficult. I would be the first to admit this one. Do you struggle with being content? And contentment comes in various forms: content with who you are, your image, where you are in life, your employment status, your home, and the list goes on and on. . .  .

I am here to tell you, I do! And not just in one area but in many. However, today I want to talk about being content with material “stuff”. I have to say that I totally agree with King Solomon when he wrote that the “eye is not satisfied with seeing“ (Ecclesiastes 1:8). It is so true! The more we see, the more we want. And it is a want, not a need. We want bigger homes (for the wrong reasons), we want prettier cars (for the wrong reasons), we want better jobs (for the wrong reasons), etc. There is nothing wrong with making improvements, but when it is done for the wrong reasons then, we need to reconsider. The internet has made it so opened for us to desire more and more. It is only one click away from everything we desire! And if you are a blogger, you may struggle with this one: trying to keep up with other bloggers and what they do at home. Here is an example:

Recently, I had to sit back and contain myself. I had to tell myself, “NO, I am not blogging for this reason and I will not fall into that trap”. I look at all the blog posts with those beautiful Fall home decorations, and boy is it easy to want to follow and do the same (for the wrong reasons). I had to tell myself, “I will not go broke over this”. Please do not interpret me wrong. I love decorating; and I love a pretty home. In addition, I have already being decorating for Fall. But I will Not loose money over this. In fact, I plan on doing a Fall Decor Home Tour post soon and there may be spots in the home that are still empty because we just moved into it. But I had to remind self that it is Ok. As a homemaker, I want to provide a warm and cozy home for my family! But to go broke because of discontentment is not worth it. I love looking at other’s lovely decor but I am only using this as an example of how the internet could influence someone to become discontent. Below, I want to share a lesson I learned on contentment.

A Lesson Learned about Contentment While Staying at a Hotel(s) for three Weeks

Quite the contrary you may say, but you could learn a lesson or two from forcefully staying at a hotel for 3 weeks. Actually, we skipped around in 3 different hotels trying to get the best deals and to save money. After that three weeks, I told my hubby that I wish not to go to hotels for a while. Not that the hotel(s) were bad. And you may think 3 weeks is not bad. Should be fun right? Wrong!!! We were not on vacation per say. We still had to do normal things like signing papers with the bank, my husband having surgery, and all kinds of stuff during that time. You see, we sold on our old home and was supposed to close on the new one the same day. Albeit, if you are a home owner, you know how banks work sometimes – NEVER on time with houses! You always end up waiting a couple weeks after your original closing date to move into your new home. (Sigh). You can read more about our move part one and two here and here.

Anyway, I realized that we really do not need as much “stuff” as we think we do. The Apostle Paul says in his first letter to Timothy, that if we have “food and clothing we should be content“ (1 Timothy 6:8). This verse was a total application for our family while we stayed in the hotel. We were down to just our clothes and a few other necessities. Everything else was in storage waiting to go into our new home. Don’t get me wrong, there were dishes, beds, couches, etc., and other main items in the hotel(s). And I believe they are important! But do we really need 3 and 4 different crock pots? Do we need 5 different cookie sheets? Do we need a small blender, a medium blender, and a large blender? You get the idea!!!! These are the questions I had to ask myself when I realize that all my “stuff” was in storage. And frankly, I did fine without them for those three weeks. It is funny, most of the “stuff” we keep buying because we think we need them, usually just sit in our garage collecting dust, anyway. So why waste our money?

I guess the point I am trying to make is, we need to be content with having our basic needs met. The world has a lot to offer. Especially here in the US where everything is pretty much ready-made for us. I mean, if it is there, why not get it? TV is constantly offering the next best gadget for our kitchens. Magazines, and other forms of advertising are always painting lovely pictures of “things” we need to make our lives better. Some of them are catchy and others not. But we need to sit back and examine ourselves in the light of what God says about contentment. Or we would never realize the road we are treading unless we are forced in a situation where everything is stripped from us, and then we would see how mistaken we truly are (me included).

I love this following quote! I pulled it from the web but it had no source to give the credit to.

How about you? Do you struggle with being content with material stuff? Do you desire for more and more? I would love to hear your thoughts on this post! Let’s help each other battle the issue of discontentment.

“She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness” (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).