…be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]… – Hebrews 13:5, Amplified Bible

When preachers preach on Hebrews 13:5, they usually focus on being content with the material possessions and circumstances that God has given us. Of course, Hebrews 13:5 absolutely teaches us this lesson, but it also teaches us another lesson that is often overlooked: be content with who we are.

We can become discontented with ourselves when we compare ourselves to others whom we think have “superior” character traits. We may not possess the same beauty, the same intelligence, the same business sense, or the same ability to win friends and influence people that our role models possess, and we can feel very inadequate when we realize how short of the mark we are. We then may strive to mold ourselves into the image of those “superior” people, but soon we become miserable as we realize that we will never be like the people we admire so much.

Our problem is not that we won’t ever be that person; our problem is that we want to be that person in the first place. God made each and every one of us to be unique, to be special, and to be fantastic for Him, and He has given us exactly the package of traits we need to be the person He has designed us to be. When we view ourselves through the eyes of man, we fail to see this reality because all we see is how we are not as good as the next guy. When we view ourselves through the eyes of our Maker, however, we realize that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and we realize that God has crafted us with the perfect mixture of traits to serve Him and others in the most effective way possible.

Are we perfect as we are today? Of course not. We won’t be perfect until we are in Heaven with Christ. In the meantime, however, we shouldn’t fret about not being the best looking or the smartest or the richest or the coolest person around. Such things are only important to those who focus on earning the praise of men. Our focus should be instead to thank God for the package of personality, interest, skills, and values He has provided us with to serve Him and others in the most effective manner possible. When we celebrate and embrace His design for us, we will not only accomplish God’s purpose in our lives, we will experience joy on a level we’ve never experienced before. But if we wallow in discontentment over not being like those “superior” people around us, then we will be miserable, and we will fail to fulfill God’s perfect plan for our lives.

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