Chasing Bubbles

Kids love bubbles. Toddlers are especially drawn to them. I'm not sure why, but they just have a certain appeal. Shiny floating orbs that burst as soon as their tiny little fingers make contact and leave only a few droplets of moisture. Whether indoor or outdoor, you can occupy a child for hours with a bottle of bubbles.

Maybe a toddler chasing a floating bubble around the backyard is just an analogy for what many adolescents and adults tend to do long after they lose that excitement over soapy water mixed with air. As older people we still chase after plenty of things, most of which are just as fleeting and every bit as trivial as soapy water. Middle-schoolers and high-schoolers seek for acceptance and popularity, only to find that the definition of those things changes every few years (months even). Maybe it is that same struggle that motivates it, or maybe it is the feeling that sexual activity is inevitable in young people, but many adolescents and young adults lose the battle of purity only to feel frustrated and lonely. Highs are reached through substances but they never last. More and more substances are needed to reach the same high. Bubbles floating in the wind.

Adulthood brings with it the need to keep up with the Jones'. We believe we will feel better when I have a bigger house...a nicer car...a larger TV...a better bank account...more glorious vacations...cooler clothes. They are all bubbles. Shiny floating orbs that tend lose their glory when we finally get our hands on them. The wise man once said, "Whoever loves money will never have enough money. Whoever loves luxury will not be content with abundance. This also is pointless" (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

So what is the answer? Simply put, contentment. The man or woman who finds real contentment where they are can find real happiness. Contentment with what you have now. Contentment with who you are in the present. Contentment with your accomplishments to this point in life. Paul said, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I'm in" (Philippians 4:11).

Now, don't get me wrong, contentment and complacency are not the same thing. I can still strive to do better in life. I can work for better things. I can stretch myself to be a better example and go on more vacations. But if I base my happiness and contentment on a certain goal in the future it is likely that I will always be miserable. I will always be chasing bubbles that lack substance. Happiness and contentment are not found in some thing or place or person or event. They are found within.
Contentment is the joy of taking in one more breath.
Contentment is enjoying each bite of food -- whether a steak or a peanut butter sandwich.
Contentment is thanking God for your health.
Contentment is also thanking him for the sickness that helps you recognize your humanity and priorities.
Contentment is, well, watching a child play with bubbles -- and knowing that life is much better if you leave the bubble chasing to the toddlers of the world.

Ben