On Contentment
A collection of outfits…things I wear when I go into the office once a week for my corporate job. It’s a very business casual environment, but I like to dress up a little bit with a nice sweater or top, some classic earrings and balance it with jeans or sneakers to keep it casual.
If you’ve followed me a long time, I started out by covering fashion and clothing on my blog and social media platforms. Over time, that has changed into more lifestyle content, but I always have a sweet spot for clothing and accessories. Through motherhood (and body changes) and honing in on my personal style and season of life, I feel really good about where my style sits today. That said, I still find it hard to resist some fresh athleisure for my day to day life and workouts, a great deal that I spotted while scrolling on social media or in store when I went in for grocery items, or even justifying a splurge worthy item that seems to be so perfectly ‘me.’
Old habits die hard, am I right?!
So with the end of the year approaching comes time for reflection…and goals. And I’ve done this particular goal every January the past couple of years (some years better than others), but it is a Contentment Challenge. The idea is that you make a commitment to give up shopping for non-essential items for 3 months, in order to challenge your shopping habits, to get control of your household finances, and most of all—to redirect your heart towards your relationship with God and your family. For me, clothing (and wellness + home items) are areas where I know I can improve, and I wanted to capture it in writing this time around to hold myself accountable, and hopefully encourage others along the way!
So here I am trying it again with more resolve than ever…because I have more conviction in the “why" behind it than previous years.
I’m not doing this to save money, though that’s a great bonus and certainly worthwhile and important. I’m doing it because it’s simply good practice to not immediately fulfill every want.
Consumerism is the water we swim in. Everything around us is designed to make us want and desire and feel like we need more. We’re told we need new, best, and shiny. If you’re like me, you know this logically. But when it’s your default mindset—like for most of us in the affluent U.S.—you’re likely not awake to it. While I often think of greed or envy as a strong feeling or ache in my chest for something, I’ve come to realize I often don’t even feel it. I want, so I get. I desire, so I take.
Greed and envy course through our veins, and we don’t even realize it because we feed it so fast, we never feel the hunger.
In Luke 12:15 Jesus warns, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Be on your guard. For me, this is the point of the contentment challenge. I want to spend these days longing most for Jesus, not a new pair of leggings or nail polish. Like a fast, anytime I have the desire to purchase something, I want to take that time to pray that Christ would make me want him the more and ask the Spirit to remind my soul that I have what I need most: God himself.
For me, that means fewer clicks, fewer saved links, and more space to let my wants settle during these days. If, at the end of the three months, I still want the thing? I’ll reconsider it then. It’s simply taking a stance (a very different kind of stance) that states that things don't equal happiness. Convenience doesn't either. People do, experiences do, and ultimately, your relationship with God is the one thing that can satisfy.
If you’ve been thinking about something similar, or want to be on your guard with me, I’d love to have you join me! Follow along on Instagram with me and reach out.
This post is in partnership with Responsival.