The Plague of Discontentment. And the BOGS WINNER!

Alright...alright...I know what you really want to hear, so let's just get this out there. The randomly chosen winner (thank you, Random.org!) for the pair of BOG Farm Boots is none other than...SUZY!!!!! And her winning comment: Gonna share this giveaway post…but I love your blog!!!!!Suzy girl. Email me. Let's talk details. Shaye@TheElliottHomestead.comThank you ALL for entering! As always, if I could ship a pair to each and every one of you, I would. But I only have $7 in my wallet right now. So that's that.Now for more serious matters. Not that sweet farm boots and chicken poop aren't serious. You know what I'm sayin'. I got something on my mind, people.Contentment.Con-tent-ment: A state of happiness and satisfaction.Do you feel it? At this very moment - do you feel content?I want to. I pray for it all the time. Yet I still find myself longing for 'what was'...'what isn't'...'what will be one day'.Discontentment with our current situations leads me to do things like this:Instead of accepting the fact that our rental house is not conducive to gardening, I choose to build a make-shift potato patch out of free pallets, top soil dug out from under some trees, and a few pieces of wire to hold it all together. I spent $2 on four pounds of potato seed, that I simply planted under a few inches of compost, soil, and leaves.Will they grow? I have no idea.Will we be in this house when it comes time to harvest? Beats me.But in an effort to scratch at my discontented heart, I had to try.How silly is that?My long time readers know I had no intentions whatsoever of living in Alabama one year ago. Never in a million years could I, or would I, have chosen this for myself. But, as we all know, the Lord doesn't call us to be comfortable or complacent. He calls us to be faithful and trusting in His divine purpose.My husband often reminds me that God doesn't have a 'Plan B' for our lives. Each moment, we are on the 'Plan A' He has chosen and designed for us. Even if it feels a little strained and messy at the time.And thus, here we are.This time of year, I always seem to specifically struggle with that danged contentment. Because, and I'll be honest here Lord, I don't feel content. And that, my friends, is an issue of the heart.My mind tends to fast-forward to the next 'big-thing' that I want to accomplish. Do you ever do that?Maybe once we get our animals and garden. Maybe then I'll be content.Maybe once we stop having to rent houses and can put our roots down somewhere. Maybe then I'll be content.The small amount of wisdom I've acquired over the years, however, proves this isn't the case. True contentment is never found in the trivial and idolized things of this world. No chicken is going to bring me contentment if my heart is not focused on the only thing that can bring me true peace of heart - faith in Jesus Christ.It's not about me, you see.It's not about chickens. Or homesteads. Or gardens. Or even living close to family. Those aren't things we're entitled to and they're not what's most important.Seeking His purpose is. Doing His work is. Loving Him and worshiping Him is. Glorifying Him amongst the rubble and hardships of this world is.I found comfort being reminded last week in Sunday School, 'This side of glory, it's just hard'.Isn't that the truth?This side of heaven, our hearts may never know true contentment. They are all too distracted with the folly of the world. Be it a job, relationship, hobby, lifestyle, dairy cow (ahem), etc.But even with this discontentment that all too easily plagues my heart, there is great hope! This isn't where it ends!We have new life in Christ! We have been redeemed! And we are slowly being healed.Lest we forget, however, it's not an easy path. Quite the opposite. It's a blood bath. The Lord calls us out of our hobbit holes and into the broken world. He calls us to sacrifice the things that are most important to us. He calls us to lay down our idols and worship him. He calls us give up our dreams and our visions for our future and instead asks us to trust Him to provide what is best.What is easiest? Hardly. But what is best, none-the-less.Let it be known - I am a sinner. A very selfish one. A sinner who continues to struggle with the reality of these truths. A sinner who needs to remember that the Lord has a plan and purpose for all things. That He loves me. That He loves you. That He DOES have a plan for this 'ol homestead - and that it's perfect.And I have a great hope! A hope that one day I will return to Paradise, where discontented hearts are no longer. Where instead of looking inward, I will continually and forever look upward in adoration.The unbroken and perfect Garden.