What’s your favorite Bible verse from the Psalms?

One of my favorites is Psalm 37:16. “A little that a righteous man has is better than the
riches of many wicked.”

The rest of Psalm 37 talks about trusting in God, not worrying about or being jealous of the
wicked who seem to have much in this world, and patiently resting in God’s faithfulness. So
contentment, trust and patience are all interconnected. Maybe that seems obvious, but it’s
actually really important.

If you struggle with patience and waiting on God, that might be why you also struggle with
being content in your humble circumstances. If you struggle with releasing control and
trusting God in difficult situations, you will probably also struggle with being patient with God’s timing and/or the shortcomings of those around you.

But God loves helping us in our struggles and weaknesses. All you have to do is ask Him to
help you (James 1:5) and He will give you wisdom, patience and many other fruits of the Spirit. Helping His children grow is one of God’s favorite things to do.

That being said, we still have to constantly remind ourselves to be content where we are. As the saying goes, “The grass is not greener on the other side.”

Let me use a relatable example.

A few months ago I went to a friend’s birthday party that was really similar to most high school proms — food, big dresses, and dancing. I had a really good time getting to see old friends at the party, and I enjoyed a few of the songs, but honestly?

I’ve had way more fun playing volleyball with my friends at youth group for 15 minutes after church than I had at that party.

I know some of you might find that unbelievable. But no matter how much I like wearing heels and a dress, if I had to choose between that fancy party and dodgeball night, I’d pick dodgeball.

Why?

Because at that party, I was only surrounded by a few people I knew, we were all in separate
groups depending on who our friends were, and the songs they played weren’t always clean.
On Wednesday night I’m with people who I know care about and pray for me, there’s always
some good laughs and smiles, and we all have fun dancing to the Rick Roll song.

That ‘little bit’ I have at youth group is a whole lot better than the ‘many riches’ at that party.

But one more thing — if you based it off of Instagram pictures or TikTok videos, which environment do you think looks more fun? Seeing thirty kids in a random gym with dodgeballs flying in the background probably looks really boring compared to ballgowns and fairy lights.

The environment that was more healthy, more fun, and more loving wasn’t the place that would look really cool on your Snapchat story.

Please don’t sit at home wishing you could live other people’s lives — their lives really aren’t worth it! Everyone struggles with this, especially young adults, but if you look closely, the most popular influencers and sport stars are usually really unhappy. Take it from somebody who has been to public school. So don’t envy them — if you’re a Christian, you’re the one who has real, lasting satisfaction.

Not them.