A couple weeks ago Kelly and I sat down to watch a movie on a quiet Saturday night. We hadn’t settled on a specific movie to watch. No worries though, with a Redbox less than a mile away, Amazon Prime and Netflix at our fingertips, and a large movie rental store maybe 3 miles away, we had plenty of options.
We pulled up Prime Video and started browsing, found a few movies that looked worthwhile, picked one, and settled in. For all of about 10 minutes. The movie wasn’t all that interesting. No problem. There were still others that had looked interesting, so we switched to another movie. 15 minutes in we were still dissatisfied. On to another movie, frustrated with the wasted time.
After about an hour of indecision and flipping between movies we gave up and went to bed unhappy. What had been set to be a nice night at home watching a movie turned into an hour cursed by the amazing breadth of choices we had in front of us. It’s an increasingly common problem in our world with the growing list of options in every realm of life. Whether it be entertainment, college degrees, churches, or where to live, we have a massive amount of options to choose from. Technology has opened up a realm of possibilities and we’ve entered the age of interminable dissatisfaction. Rather than picking one thing, sticking it through, and enjoying it we’re almost constantly evaluating what we’ve chosen against the ten other options that we can find pictures, blog posts, and videos of online.
I know several people who’ve added at least two years to their college career by switching majors two or more times because other options seemed more interesting. We begin attending a church and after a couple weeks start wondering what the other churches in town are like and end up hopping from one to another, never settling in. Our significant other is great for the moment, but we’re keeping our eyes open in case something better comes along. Sure, our lives are ok, but look at the lives that are out there on Pinterest and Instagram. Why can’t I have a house/family/job/car/fashion sense/body like that?
The first and biggest problem with our constant search for something new is the fact that it speaks loudly to the fact that we don’t believe God has a good purpose for where we are now. The temptation is to constantly live somewhere other than where we are currently, whether that means imagining that another movie would be more interesting or another career more fulfilling. Let’s learn contentment where we’re currently at rather that always trying to get somewhere else.
The constant comparison and attendant dissatisfaction kills the hope, joy, and peace that we are meant to have throughout all of life. The followers of Jesus are to be the most joyful people, at peace regardless of their circumstances. We should be able to say with the apostle Paul, “I have learned in all situations how to rejoice.” The fruit of the Spirit won’t grow if we’re constantly uprooting and replanting somewhere new.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with changing the movie you’re watching because it’s not particularly interesting. The same goes for changing careers or degrees. The issue comes when our heart operates with a posture of always seeking something new, something better.
God has put you where you are now because he has something that will be for your good and his glory there. He wants you to learn and grow and become. We are to be like Joseph, who served in his imprisonment with excellency rather than spending his days pondering what it would be like to be somewhere else. As a result of his focus and excellence he grew in character and was exalted by the Lord to the place of second in command in the nation.
Instead of always looking at the greener grass on the other side, lean into where God has you now. Whether it’s your job, schooling, relationship, or even the body he has given you. He has you there with a purpose that’s awesome. As you own that space with excellence and faithfulness he will lead you to open doors that will take you beyond what you had ever imagined for yourself.
Don’t waste your time. The Psalmist was right when he wrote that our lives are barely a breath. Don’t be like Kelly and I were on that Saturday night, digging ourselves into frustration rather than enjoying and being satisfied with what we had chosen. There’s joy in every situation, hope in every inch of your life, and peace anywhere that Jesus is (which is everywhere!). Kick the habit of dissatisfaction. Lean in where you are now and watch the amazing happen.
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