Imagine a caterpillar who spends all day simply wishing it were a butterfly, but never really gets into the work of spinning its cocoon. We know for certain that this caterpillar will never experience the glory of flying freely with the wind unless it starts using that ambition to affect the "now."
Sadly, that's what discontentment can do once we allow the hard grip of wishful thinking and the absence of action to paralyse us and God's purpose for our life. Discontentment is simply feeling dissatisfied with your current state and circumstances. We all have some level of discontentment in us, but did you know that not all discontentment is bad for you? In fact, at some level God wants us to experience discontentment but only in the context that He so desires. What does good discontentment look like?
I first heard about the concept of godly discontentment from megachurch pastor and leadership expert Pastor Bill Hybels. The idea behind it is that there is a certain kind of discontentment that can actually propel us to greater heights.
The difference between godly and ungodly discontentment really lies in two things: the root and the fruit. In some way, we can say that both are the same tree, but they are fuelled by two completely different roots. The root of godly discontentment is faith and trust in a God who works for our good while the root of ungodly discontentment is a mistrust that leads us to think that God cannot and will not do what's best for us.
When we are fuelled by a selfish desire to do things on our own, gain promotion on our own, or get wealth on our own we build up an ungodly discontentment that desires to have things our way instead of God's way. When we go this way, we will never become the butterflies that God wants us to be. When we are fuelled however by faith that God can and will let His good and pleasing will be manifested in our lives, we will pursue greater heights not by our strength and capacity but by His.
Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." We can plan on our own and dream on our own, but only God's ways and plans are truly sustainable. It's best that we pursue these.
The other difference between godly and ungodly discontentment is it's fruit. While ungodly discontentment produces frustration and more ungodly discontentment, godly discontentment produces hope. That's what God wants for us - to exist in the glorious hope that is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
God desires these two things for us always: a future and hope. We find that only when we build a godly discontentment that is rooted in faith and not unbelief. Are you trusting God today? Are you allowing that faith and trust to build a godly discontentment in you and allowing it to remove the ungodly discontentment today?
