Embrace the Wilderness, or How to Be Content at All Times

I know, I know…

You don’t belong here.

Everything about where you are now is a slap in the face. You’ve been disrespected, taken for granted, and underestimated your whole life.

Sure, you’ve overcome incredible odds, you’ve garnered a little outside attention, and your critics will never understand how much you’ve done to get to this point.

But the fact is, you’re still here.

And this simple truth enrages you. It devours you from the inside out.

It wouldn’t be so bad if you were like the others—if you didn’t have a purpose ingrained in your head. It wouldn’t frustrate at all if there weren’t expectations.

But there are expectations. Oh man, are there expectations.

You were the one who was different. The old you woke people from the monotony of life. But now? You’re just a cog in the machine.

It’s a shame what happened to you, because you were amazing before. But don’t worry about all that. Everyone knows it’s not your fault.

Well, that’s what they say at least. But we both know what they really think:

“He’s nothing like he used to be.”
“I can’t believe I cared so much about him.”
“She’ll never be the person she should have been.”

So that’s when they walk away. Heck, they even blame you.

How dare you trick them into believing? How dare you waste their precious time?

And this really stirs something inside you. You know what you used to be and you wish with all your heart you could be that again.

But you can’t right now. No matter how much you improve or how many flashes you show, you just can’t right now.

You need a spark plug. Perhaps a word of encouragement. Whatever it is, you just need something.

wilderness how to be content help me — *“Help…me…”*

So you probably think this is where I give you that “something.” It’s where I say you can do anything you put your mind to, or where I convince you to fight your way out.

But it’s not.

I’m not saying any of that.

The truth is, you can’t create reality. The law of attraction is a lie. And I’m done feeding the human desire with the stuff it wants to hear.

Forget the positive energy and the motivational jargon. Because there’s only one thing you have to do:

Embrace it.

I’m telling you to humble yourself and embrace it.

Embrace the wilderness. That’s what you have to do.

What you were before doesn’t matter. What you will be isn’t important yet. But how you act now, that’s everything.

Own Your Stage

A wise man once said that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). But it took me a while to understand the truth of that statement.

“Sure, I can deal with this a few months…”, that was my attitude before. I thought I was content then, but there was always more to follow:

“…as long as I’m comfortable.”
“…as long as things go my way later.”
“…as long…as long…as long…”

There was always a condition. And if there’s a condition, you’re not content.

True contentment is being satisfied with what you have, not chasing satisfaction in the things you want.

The strongest people aren’t the ones who change their circumstances. They’re the ones who adapt to them all.

Rich or poor. Sick or healthy. Loved or hated. They adapt.

Their circumstances aren’t a prison to escape from. They’re the current stage for them to live their lives as best as possible.

wilderness how to be content set up shop — Set up shop.

And since this is what strong people do, I have to admit my weakness:

I’m a quietly ambitious, results-driven person. And even though this site had a surge in traffic and reached thousands across the globe, it wasn’t enough.

Readers sent encouraging emails with compliments but it wasn’t enough.

My day job was going well too, but guess what? It wasn’t enough.

My life didn’t fit the mold of what I thought it should have been. So nothing would have been enough.

And you know what? Most people wouldn’t see a problem here. To them, this desire says you should strive for more.

But for me as a Christian, it’s unacceptable.

The Church loves Christian rallying cry number 278, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” but almost everyone ignores the words that come before it:

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

The “all things” Paul describes doesn’t refer to impossible feats achieved en route to a perfect life. It refers to the strength to endure any situation.

And it’s this power to not only endure, but to be satisfied at all times, that defines the Christian experience.

So many people’s lives are about what happens to them. They’re products of their environment—victims of their circumstance. And it’s sad.

Reality doesn’t always match our expectations. So we search for a person, or a system, or a god to blame, when really the only person who deceived us is our self.

But I’m done with that now. And I hope you are too.