What You Can Learn About Contentment from A Day at the Lake

Contentment is a simple concept. It’s the calm of a soul satisfied, the recognition of abundance when there is no excess. Contentment is being thankful for what you have and knowing more won’t increase your happiness.

 

 

Contentment is a desire for many, an idea chased by the masses. There always seems to be a caveat though, a “When I get to that point I’ll finally be content with my life” mantra said over and over again until it manifests into truth. Why do we look past our own blessings? Why does someone else’s home cause us to rethink our careers and beg for raises we aren’t meant to take? Why do the possessions that fill up that home find their way into our garages, our basements and park on our driveways?

 

Do their successes become your obsession? “If I had the same opportunity as they do, I’d be much better off.” Have you heard that before, or perhaps thought it? These are not examples of contentment. Like a child who always wants what the other kid has, it’s an adolescent state of mind. Is contentment an adult idea? And if yes, then why is it so hard for adults to adopt?

 

There are several bodies of water within radius of my home. Large lakes and bay front beaches have views to Michigan’s most beautiful sunsets and fresh water sights. The other day I was thinking about said lakes and this idea of contentment tagged along.

 

 

Spending a day at the lake requires a little bit of planning, depending on a few factors. Are you bringing along kids? Are you hitching a kayak or paddle board to your roof rack? Is a boat trailing behind your vehicle? Are you alone with just a tote bag carrying your sunglasses, a snack, and a good book or maybe a pen and your journal? When you arrive do you relax or are you already firing up a grill, jumping in the water, and tossing a Frisbee?

 

There will always be someone there who has a cuter swimsuit on and a body that can fill it out better. There is always someone who is better at swimming, someone who can actually stand on their paddle-board. There might be a better volleyball player at the sand court and maybe a better smelling meal at the next grill over. Sometimes it’s enough to strike against fatty foods and eat more vegetables or make up your mind that the kids need swim lessons even though they’d prefer building sand castles. Discontentment can breed on the beach.

 

Here’s a couple things I’ve surmised about a lake. It is beautiful, utterly breathtaking when the sun is shining and terrifyingly mysterious when it’s roaring from a storm. It can have expensive and pretty yachts gliding along its surface and intriguing lighthouses perched where it meets land. People lie on flamingo floats to drift and seaplanes brace for landing. Skiers and tubers thud along and fireworks illuminate their reflection overhead during a celebration. It’s hard to not acknowledge the beauty of free-roaming waves and its majestic scale in relation to the person sitting on a towel, toes lapped by the wave remnants, staring at it from dry land.

 

 

A lake in the summertime has so much activity. So many shiny gadgets and expensive toys propelling through its water. But they all retreat to their homes or tents or cabins on days when the rain pummels down and the sand is stained and wet. And when everyone (aside from brave fisherman) stay shut in behind the doors of their cozy homes, the lake still sits moving under a hood of ice.

 

But the lake doesn’t need the fancy vacationers and pricey boats for it to be majestic and beautiful. It really doesn’t need beaches full of sandcastles to be exciting and respected. Even in the winter it is stunning and is a living, unpredictable wonder. The lake has a mind of its own, shifting from wind gusts and pop-up or long brewed storms. It can be utterly calm and crystal clear to the bottom. And even when there aren’t beings dancing along its surface, there are living creatures, plants, and rock residing below; that is a whole story many haven’t read.

 

It’s a beautiful creation from our extraordinarily creative God.

 

Like a lake, we don’t need “stuff” to make us valued or happy. We know that our stuff may come and go, like the seasons take tourists away from the lake, but its departure makes no difference in how wonderful it is. It is just as grand and spectacular as it was when it had everything at its finger-tips. And just as the lake has a different world underneath its surface, so we have talents, gifts, and qualities that others might not see. Those are important, and recognizing that you don’t need extras to be special is more-so.

 

 

So can we be content with what we have? Can we look past the material things of this world and recognize what is truly important now to us, our families, and our communities? Can we be okay during our “winter” phase and be just as happy when summer rolls around?

 

This is hard stuff to put into practice. It’s a human thing to struggle with wanting more, whether physical possessions or otherwise, and I’m guilty of longing for contentment that seems down the road too. But to be truly content we must first look to God and recognize that everything we have is because He has given it to us. Think consciously of all that you have, maybe your things, your health, your basic necessities, your job, your family, your life, your home. Contentment seems easier when we analyze our circumstances and the blessings that seem mundane.

 

***A side bar worth noting. When I talk about contentment, I am in no way referring to laziness or complacency. Don’t settle for a life or a dream that you know with hard work and dedication you can enrich. If you are in a dark place, don’t stay there, strive to get out. And I certainly don’t mean that we should be content with our situations if they are dangerous. The contentment I’m talking about is not chasing after what everyone else has or what society makes you feel like you should have or be like. Don’t feel like you need to compete with people or have the newest and best things to make you happy. They won’t. But if you are working towards changing your life not because of what someone else says but because you believe it is best for you and your family, then go for it. But during that phase, be content with what you have now, and rejoice when you reach your dreams knowing you don’t need what you have to be thankful and happy.***

 

Are you content? What are some ways you keep your thoughts in check and stay content? Let me know in the comments!

 

Cheers!