Image by cookie_studio on Freepik
What pushes you to become better – be it in your job or simply life in general? While bearing some negativity, dissatisfaction brings improvement, such as in religion and the concept of holy discontent.
While people are encouraged to be satisfied, there should always be room for improvement where necessary. Nothing kills growth and progress more than immature contentment. When people settle for what they have despite dissatisfaction and an evident space for something better, they waste not only the potential but also the possibility to sow more significant benefits.
People can feel discontented in multiple facets of life. They may feel this in their careers when there’s an eminent need for constant promotions. They may think that they’re stagnating when they could be in better dispositions. Even in their relationships, people will need to leave and establish more meaningful and profound connections.
Indeed, life provides people with constant opportunities to move upward and improve; wherever there’s room for change, there’s room for improvement. And when there’s an evident benefit, people can’t help but aim for greater heights.
So, will this involve their religious circumstances and what they refer to as holy discontent?
The Weight of Dissatisfaction in Religion
According to the Bible, dissatisfaction is a sin. It pushes people to grumble and complain about what they lack instead of working toward achieving the contrary. When dissatisfaction exists, people face two possible routes: action or inaction.
They may either do what most would’ve done: aim for satisfaction. People can acknowledge what they lack and work on reaching it. Instead of opting for verbal expression of frustration, most work on attaining this insufficiency. This is the more intelligent, more valuable, and non-sinful option to take—something that would benefit the individual. However, people can also take inaction. Instead of working, they yap about their needs and yell to the heavens about this injustice.
The Bible considers this option a sin when people merely complain and blame God for their inadequacy. They externally equate God, calling Him unfair for what they lack. They become ungrateful for what they have because they’ve focused on blaming the heavens for what they don’t have.
When unacted upon, dissatisfaction causes people to focus on the adverse circumstances in their lives. This prompts a sense of ungratefulness for what they have. Instead of believing things will improve, they will get stuck in a rut over their insufficiencies. When immature content hinders growth and dissatisfaction cultivates ungratefulness, where should people stand in their thoughts?
Holy Discontent, When Dissatisfaction and Action Meet
Author Robert Mendonca’s Joy for the Journey teaches readers how to form a deeper connection with God. This book highlights how negative self-talk can impede this relationship. However, it also details how, with the correct perception, negativity can also help build this connection.
This negativity is referred to as holy discontent. Such refers to any displeasure that enforces action paired with a religious equivalent that pulls individuals toward God. Holy discontent is defined as feelings of dissatisfaction and the desire for something better. This seems similar to the regular sense of ambition and knowing there is something better in life. But Holy discontent connects this desire for more with God’s purpose and intention.
“I’m aiming for more because God has set me to have more.”
This is the typical thought process when discontent is associated with religion. Hence, while to some dissatisfaction becomes sin, such can be avoided when what they’re feeling is Holy discontent. After all, when people firmly believe they’re set for more because God wants them to have more, they wouldn’t feel any hindrance that would stop them from achieving so.
How Does This Enrich the Connection With God?
God lays everything out. What people have on earth has been handed to them by His volition. Hence, nobody can also blame others who blame Him for any discontent they would feel. When they know everything has been planned, it’s easy to put the burden on who planned it. In this case, it’s His plan, and people can genuinely believe they’ve been shoved under unfair circumstances.
However, with Holy discontent, any dissatisfaction can be associated with challenges or a step given to them for improvement. People won’t think they will be stuck in that situation forever. Instead, they would recognize the possibility of improvement because they know God has better plans for them. They feel discontent with their circumstances and unhesitatingly strive for better grounds. There are multiple grounds for Holy discontent, which will bring people closer to God.
They don’t focus their attention too much on their present sufferings. Instead, they anticipate the glory and blessings awaiting them in the future. This strong belief in better dispositions comes with a strong belief in God’s mercy. Hence, they don’t grumble when faced with inadequacy. People don’t blame Him for being unjust. Instead, they work on improving themselves, knowing that’s what He wants.