Contentment Is Harder Than It Sounds

In the world of minimalism, one of the most important practices is contentment. It means being satisfied with the things you already have so you can stop worrying about what else you (think you) need. And to take that a step further, it’s not a dependency on external things at all, including both the ones you own and the ones you yearn for. From a secular perspective, contentment is a complete self-sufficiency that means you are independent of all outward things — like the furniture in your house, the clothes in your closet, and the cars in your garage. And through a spiritual lens, contentment is being satisfied or pleased, and that ultimately comes from God and the peace only he provides.

But practicing contentment is easier said than done! In fact, I’ve struggled with it in an entire new way since moving into our house last summer. A few years ago, after switching to a sustainable wardrobe and getting into thrifting again, I began to feel more content with my wardrobe. Minimizing the overwhelming number of things I could potentially buy to a much smaller number (that only includes ethical brands and second-hand stores) greatly reduced my anxiety I experienced with consumption. It means that many items promoted by bloggers don’t fall under the “potential buy” category in my mind. Most clothing in the mall doesn’t. And all those ads (except for the sustainable ones Instagram now knows I love!) don’t work either. I stopped pursuing websites, shuffling through racks at the mall, or “swiping up” for the latest sale. At last, I felt like my closet was settled — and shopping became an occasional activity and an outlet for creativity rather than one of anxiety. So once this pattern started to happen — where I realized I finally had contentment with my closet — I thought, I mastered it! I am content!

Ooohh, was I wrong though. Furnishing our house has been an entirely different story. There’s a strange thing that happens when you move from a rented apartment into a house you own. You suddenly feel like you should have it all together in the home decor department — that you instantly need to swap your Target dorm line and IKEA furniture for the high-brow brands you see all over Instagram, or in my case, a beautiful vintage piece you scored from an antique store.

I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent comparing prices and reading reviews on Amazon, Wayfair, AllModern, and the like. I think I could have written a novel by now if I used those hours to create rather than consume — or worse, scroll, click and stress out. Don’t get me wrong; there’s a time to purchase furniture, read up on reviews and spend some time weighing the costs (literally — furniture is SO expensive!). But the level of obsession I embodied just wasn’t necessary. And then after the purchase, I felt a sense of “Did we spend too much money? What if we don’t like it?” and all the other buyer’s remorse you instantly feel after dropping hundreds of dollars on a reading chair and a matching ottoman.

So, I’m speaking to myself as much as I’m speaking to you. Do you feel content? What are practical ways you can experience contentment? This doesn’t sound overly spiritual, but a good place to start is: eliminate the input of messaging that reads “buy buy buy.” That may be a blogger you follow on Instagram (you can mute stories!), unsubscribing from emails from brands that tempt you, or simply walking through the mall less often. And to take it a step further, take some time to take inventory of what you do have. Thank God for the belongings he’s given you and the financial means to be able to afford them. Starting from a posture of gratitude quite often leads to contentment, naturally.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite passages on the subject in 1 Timothy 6:6–12. The Apostle Paul is writing to his younger colleague Timothy regarding his ministry in Ephesus.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”