Cultivating Contentment as a Couple
by Lynette Kittle
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” - Philippians 4:11
Over the years my husband and I have lived in numerous housing situations including house sitting, temporary housing, staying with people we hardly knew, as well as living with close family members.
We’ve lived temporarily in a pastor’s basement while ministering in Alaska, rented an Ark-like home on the Gulf of Mexico, and stayed with my parents in their deluxe apartment over a car dealership in a small downtown area.
We’ve moved so many times over the years ago, living in numerous locations and circumstances, learning to be content in our situation. Like Proverbs 19:23, “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
Although it hasn’t always been easy, learning to adjust has definitely benefited our lives. Through various situations, we’ve learned how our circumstances don’t have to dictate whether or not we enjoy life. We’ve discovered we don’t have to conform or live in the newest designs or building trends to be content.
Maybe as a couple, you’re disappointed in your current living space, finding it less than what you hoped for or imagined when you first tied the knot?
HGTV’s “House Hunters” show takes viewers along as couples look for new housing. Often couples walk into a prospective place and are aghast at the outdated décor, stating how it all has to go because they could never live with it, vowing to replace all with newer, updated versions.
Most of the time I’ve thought how we would just move in and adjust, like we’ve done so many times over the years, reminded of 1 Timothy 6:8, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
Perhaps like “The Middle” sitcom, you’ve found yourselves with a house in disrepair, trying to function and run a household with broken appliances, scraping by financially, shopping clearance grocery items, all while juggling bills from paycheck to paycheck and living off various credit cards.
If so, you may think the idea of living content is impossible to achieve. But what I like about the family in “The Middle,” is how they come up with creative ways to enjoy life amidst their discomforts. Rather than living overwhelmed, although they do experience it at times, they find a way to adapt and enjoy little things in life.
Basing our contentment on what is surrounding us all the time will always come up short. Likewise, there are countless stories of people who live in mansions, looking like they possess everything for a happy life, yet lack contentment in their lives.
Like the Apostle Paul confessed, he learned to be content in whatever his circumstances (Philippians 4:11) and the key to his contentment is found in Hebrews 13:5. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
As couples, we too can find contentment in knowing God is with us where ever we live.
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, iBelieve.com, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, and more. She has an M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as an associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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Originally published Monday, 19 February 2024.
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