How Practicing Contentment Led to Joy in My Everyday Life
The spring of 2023 marked a difficult season in my life. It was not a season of depression or discouragement, but rather one of listlessness. My husband and I had been living in Honduras as missionaries for about six months, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to feel fulfillment and purpose in my day-to-day activities.
For the previous seven years, I had worked as an elementary teacher, and I absolutely loved everything about teaching. The schedules, routines, and checked boxes made it easy to see what was required each day. At the end of the day, I could go home, relax, and feel satisfied that I had accomplished what needed to be done.
On the mission field, however, everything was different.
We had just completed language school, and while that preparation was necessary, it was often difficult to see immediate fruit from it. As we began pastoring and working in our local community, there was also the adjustment of ministering in a different language and culture.
I vividly remember a family leaving our house one evening, and I wondered if I would ever come to the point of truly enjoying fellowship in my second language. I loved the people, but the constant strain of communicating in Spanish was tiring. The amount of preparation required for even simple tasks often made the ministry feel small and discouraging.
Around that time, a missionary friend in Lesotho, Africa, recommended the book Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. I began the book somewhat skeptically. To be perfectly honest, books written specifically for women are not always my preferred style. In addition, the word anxious seemed like a rather extreme emotion to be featured so prominently in the title. However, the very first chapter quickly proved me wrong and showed me that I was exactly the audience the book was intended for!
Contentment in Difficulty
In the opening chapter, Linda, who was also a missionary, shares the story of a godly older woman who had learned remarkable contentment in the midst of incredible difficulties on the mission field. When asked how she had acquired such contentment, the woman replied that she never allowed herself to complain about anything, not even the weather. As a transplanted Canadian living in Latin America, I immediately felt convicted by that statement!
The book goes on to address many of the struggles women face and points the reader toward a Biblical response. I was deeply challenged and convicted, and since that first reading, I have read the book again. Each chapter deals with specific areas of life that threaten our contentment. Unlike many books that simply attempt to soothe anxious feelings, this one offers practical help for learning to be content with ourselves, our roles in life, the uncertainties of the future, and much more.
A Matter of Perspective
This book has shaped so much of the way I now view daily life. In one chapter, Dillow describes a season of her life in sparkling and beautiful terms. She speaks of fulfillment in ministry and the joy and excitement she felt each day. As I read, I felt slightly envious of her experience. Yet she then goes on to describe that very same season entirely differently. She tells of the struggles she endured, the difficulty of the ministry, and how ineffective she often felt. That example has stayed with me.
Every day, I have a choice. I can choose to see the good that God is doing and the many ways He has blessed me, or I can focus on the negatives. In many ways, it really is that simple.
As I write this article, I realize it may be time for me to revisit Calm My Anxious Heart for a third time. Few books have challenged my thinking as deeply or influenced my daily outlook as this one. In a world filled with restlessness and comparison, Linda Dillow offers a Biblical and practical guide to lasting contentment. It is a book I would gladly recommend to any woman who desires a steadier heart and a more joyful walk with God.
