I’d had plenty of pity parties about my singleness, but I’d thought that was the normal response any average single girl would have.

Did you catch that phrase? Any average girl.

When I realized the hypocrisy in my thinking, something seemed to click into place inside me. I distinctly remember the fierce determination that welled up within me to not be the average single girl anymore.

A STAGNANT LAKE

If you’re like me, you’ve heard the truth. We have the head knowledge that God has a plan – we must only trust and wait. Our minds know that we are special, valuable, and worthwhile. But just like a lake that has no outlet and causes the water inside to grow stagnant, so our knowledge grows stagnant within us when it isn’t being released into action.

I had been so focused on trying to stir up feelings of contentment about my current season of life that I let the truth simmer within me until it evaporated away. Then, I’d pour more truth in – read another devotional book about contentment, read more verses about trusting God, etc. – and start the process all over again.

The problem was that knowledge without action is futile. Or as James puts it, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).

FEELINGS VS. LIFESTYLE

Jesus does not tell you to trick yourself into feeli

ng content and happy. That’s not how He wired you. Instead He created your feelings to follow your actions.

Have you noticed Paul’s exact wording in Philippians 4:11? He says, “I have learned. . . to be content.” Learned. Learning requires action. It’s not a passive thing, but an action you must take.

This realization turned my internal operating system upside down. Feelings follow action. The exciting part for me was not that I could act regardless of feeling but that I was assured my feelings would follow! Contentment would come. And (spoiler alert!) it did. . . perhaps for the first time.”

Read the rest of the article to see 4 steps I took to act on my faith and learn contentment.