I suppose I’ve always thought
that to be content
I needed to rid myself of the desire
for more.
Longing directed toward life
was wrong and proof of a lack of trust
in the One who gave me it.
No,
contentment is not found when
I look around and see nothing to improve.
Contentment is a soft glance inward,
noticing the broken and missing pieces
and calling them beautiful nonetheless.
It doesn’t force square pieces into circle holes.
It doesn’t look for those pieces anywhere
but in the One who put them there.
Because,
if I did not have that desire that
feeling that there is something truly missing if
I did not have that,
where, oh where, would my hope come from?
And what would I dream of at night?
I suppose I’ve always thought
that to be content
I needed to rid myself of the desire
for more.
Longing directed toward life
was wrong and proof of a lack of trust
in the One who gave me it.
No,
contentment is not found when
I look around and see nothing to improve.
Contentment is a soft glance inward,
noticing the broken and missing pieces
and calling them beautiful nonetheless.
It doesn’t force square pieces into circle holes.
It doesn’t look for those pieces anywhere
but in the One who put them there.
Because,
if I did not have that desire that
feeling that there is something truly missing if
I did not have that,
where, oh where, would my hope come from?
And what would I dream of at night?
Growing up, I always thought that when Paul talks about contentment in Philippians he was saying that it was selfish to want anything. That belief was something I wrestled with until I realized that God gives us desires and passions to experience the world he created. He wired us for relationships- to be happy and excited to love others. I wrote this poem to explore this strange contradiction that was at war within me. I wanted to be content in the present, but I also wanted to hope for the future. This piece helped me realize that the two are not mutually exclusive. They are intrinsically linked and given to us by God.
Emily Axtman is a senior from Wisconsin studying Professional Writing. She writes to provide perspective and to thank the people who have impacted her most. Her process starts with ideas in her notes app, and if she’s lucky they’ll find their way into a finished piece. Her writing is centered around a theme of human experiences and her own faith.
Emily Axtman is a senior from Wisconsin studying Professional Writing. She writes to provide perspective and to thank the people who have impacted her most. Her process starts with ideas in her notes app, and if she’s lucky they’ll find their way into a finished piece. Her writing is centered around a theme of human experiences and her own faith.
Emily Axtman is a senior from Wisconsin studying Professional Writing. She writes to provide perspective and to thank the people who have impacted her most. Her process starts with ideas in her notes app, and if she’s lucky they’ll find their way into a finished piece. Her writing is centered around a theme of human experiences and her own faith.
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