A Lesson in Contentment

Oct 10, 2025 – How my detached garage showed me the importance of being content.

When my husband and I were moving our family to a new town to plant a church, it was tricky to find a home in our budget that wasn’t a total fixer-upper. We finally chose our 100-year-old house because it was below budget and had been well-loved by the previous owners. Some features weren’t ideal, but it was an opportunity to live below our means in a season of uncertain finances.  

When the realtor first showed the house, I didn’t give a second thought to the detached garage. But after we moved in, I found I missed having a garage attached to the house. This was especially true when unloading groceries or carrying sleeping children into the house. On those days, the distance from the garage to the house felt especially far.

A Perspective Shift

One rainy afternoon, I had a bad attitude about the garage as I prepared to run an errand. By the time I managed to wrangle the kids to the garage under a useless umbrella, we were all soaked. I was stewing in my bad attitude, which I’m sure my kids could sense. Before I backed out of the driveway,  a thought crept into my heart:

Women on the other side of the world walk miles every day for water to keep their families alive. 

The thought was so sudden and specific that I was certain it was the still, small voice of the Lord bringing conviction. It was exactly what my heart needed.  How many women dream of rain like this? And of a life where they get to unload bags full of groceries a mere few hundred feet away to stock their kitchen? I was immediately humbled as tears slid down my cheeks, matching the rain sliding down my windshield. God’s correction feels more like balm to my soul than discipline, more like kindness than condemnation. It’s the kind of love that fuels change.

A Gentle Confirmation

Later that week, a letter arrived that stopped me in my tracks. Our family sponsors a child in India, and we received a picture of women carrying water pots on their heads. The caption read, “The picture your child has colored is a representation of women carrying water in mud pots… At certain places in India, women walk miles to collect water.” 

More tears. Not just tears of gratitude for what I have, but for a God with limitless perspective. A God who is sovereign over the universe, yet still saw me in my struggle and loved me enough to give me a nudge in a better direction.

Paul had to Learn it too

I wish gratitude came more naturally, but in an old house with an endless to-do list, I can still slip back into discontentment. I’m encouraged that Paul — a giant of the faith — struggled in this area, too, and he shared this perspective with us:

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)

Did you catch Paul’s secret? It’s Jesus. Keeping his eyes on Jesus allowed Paul to live with an eternal perspective. He knew that nothing on earth could ever satisfy. Not the stuff, not the conveniences, not even the fulfilled dreams. True contentment is only found in Jesus, and Paul knew it. 

I know it too… but I still forget. And in those forgetful moments, when discontentment creeps in, I remember how blessed I am, and replace “I wish…” with “I’m thankful for…”

Replace, “I wish…” with “I’m thankful for…”

Leslie Dallas

• “I wish we had a bigger house,” becomes, “I’m thankful for the roof over our heads.“
• “I wish our house was in a better location,” becomes, “I’m thankful God has a purpose for us here.”
• “I wish we could afford to update,” becomes, “I’m thankful this house has conveniences that make my life easier — hot showers, electricity, heat, AC, appliances, and my coffee pot.”
• “I wish we had an attached garage,” becomes, “I’m thankful that clean, running water is just steps away.”

Please know, friend, that it’s ok to dream. I still do. But as I dream, I don’t want to forget to be grateful for what I have. If I’m not content with what God has given, why do I think I’d be content with more?  

What I Need More than Convenience

I’m still a work-in-progress, but I haven’t allowed myself an ungrateful thought about the garage since that rainy day. And those sleeping children we carried in? They now have long legs that walk themselves into the house. The days of carrying one sleeping child at a time are already in the rearview. What I once saw as inconvenient is now a precious memory of my kids’ little years that I’ve tucked close to my heart. 

There may be a long list of things I think I need to be happy, but maybe what I need most is gratitude. Contentment is a choice we make that has nothing to do with circumstances. I can’t have it all, and you know what? That’s a good thing. My detached garage taught me about contentment, which is far more valuable than the convenience I thought I needed.