Contentment

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

Landscape photography as a hobby or profession has the potential to give the photographer an outlet of relaxation and contentment through the appreciation of the world around us and the challenges of the exercise of the art form. It also has the danger of creating discontent and frustration. When is an image being edited “good enough” and complete enough to be posted on a gallery on a website for others to view? I am not exactly sure. They all could be adjusted just a bit more in the pursuit of perfection. There always has to come a moment when you become content with the image and say it is complete.

What about equipment and buying the latest and greatest multi-thousand dollar camera set up just to gain just a bit more perfection in the images. How many pixels is enough? Bigger… better… faster… always striving for more yet never achieving perfection or satisfaction. It is an easy trap to fall into and those selling the gear certainly want to create that illusion that “the latest” will be the thing that brings the ultimate perfection. Where does it all end?

I certainly will not sit here and give the illusion that I am not prone to desiring the latest and greatest equipment. I love shiny new toys as much as the next guy. What I am striving for though is to live content with what I have been given at this moment and be patient for God to provide when the time is right and of His choosing. Contentment, whether with a career or a house, a car or even the desire one might have to marry and have children always begins with letting go and being satisfied that if none of those dreams ever come we are going to be o.k. with what God has given.

Satisfaction and contentment in life begins and ends with the fact that the Lord is everything I need. God is our “all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13) and nothing surpasses the greatness of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord (Phil. 3:8). As 1 Timothy 6 pointed out, the basics of life such as food and clothing will be provided as earthly needs but when we learn to be content in Him we gain everything.

Wherever you may be in life and wherever you find yourself reading this post I hope that it gives you encouragement to slow down, and simply rest in contentment. Whether a photo image or in things much more consequential sometimes we just need to stop chasing perfection and enjoy the journey of progress. As always, I hope this blog post has encouraged you today in your own journey.

Numbers 6:24-26