“We’re Settlers That’s What We Do”
I’m sure most of you by now have seen the Direct TV commercial about settling for cable. If not, here is the basic idea: There’s a family of old time western settlers living in a modern midwestern suburban housing development that interacts with their neighbors (who happen to Direct TV). They interact by saying, “We are settlers, that’s what we do.” This is their response to anything new or different and their neighbors respond with disbelief. For me I can relate with both scenarios. The settlers are content with what they have not realizing there is more, better, and different. While the neighbors are appalled that the settlers would settle for, the way things are while not desiring for things to different. I have settled without even realizing it could be better or different. I have also experienced frustration towards others who have settled for less, when they could have so much more.There is a difference in being satisfied and being content. Satisfaction comes from achievement. Contentment comes from God. I Timothy 6:6-10 says, 6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” In other words if you don’t learn contentment through Christ you will be discontented even when you have achieved great things because more is never enough. Nonetheless, I want to challenge you to not be satisfied with the status quo and not to settle for less then God’s best for you! You can be satisfied with achievements. You can be content in your relationship with God. But don’t ever settle for less because it is easier. Never settle for less because you feel that’s all you deserve at the moment. Believe God, Risk faith and realize that He is a God of more than enough. Never settle for less!
Here are a few things I have observed through the years about those who are settlers:
Settlers Settle With…
1. The Familiar – The familiar can cause you to forfeit your future because you will settle for what you know, instead of exploring the uncertain or the unknown.
2. What’s Easy – Doing what’s easy is accomplished with very little effort. Therefore if something “new” takes effort but doesn’t produce immediate results you will gravitate back towards what is easy. The problem with “what’s easy” is it usually doesn’t produce new or different results. As a matter of fact it often produces a familiar framework that will keep you boxed in and bound to the familiar, keeping you from experiencing something new or better.
3. What They Know to Be Best – Sometimes what you know is all you know. However, what you know to be the best might not be the best, it might just be all you know. Don’t settle just because that’s the way you have always done it or that’s the only way you’ve seen it done. Explore. Expand. Experiment. Open up your mind to new ideas and you might be amazed at the possibilities that will unfold before you.
4. What They’ve Always Done – “We’ve always done it this way” is the greatest deterrent to things ever being different or better.
5. What They Are Comfortable With – We all like to be comfortable. Most of us know our comfort zones well. We also know how “uncomfortable” we feel outside of them. Nevertheless, the God of comfort chooses to make us uncomfortable so we will move. Just like the eagle transitions her nest from soft to prickly preparing her eaglets for flight, God does the same for us. If it were always comfortable you will never move. If I’m lying in bed and Kelly says, “did you check the front door?” I say, “I don’t want to get up, I just got comfortable.” If it is comfortable you won’t want to get up or move. Don’t allow your comfort zone to keep you frozen in the foolishness of the familiar. Get up and move toward your promised future!
6. What They Have the Resources to Accomplish – I’m learning I will never have all the resources I need. I’ve also learned if I am going to accomplish something extraordinary it is going to require great faith and risk. Sometimes what you need is not there until you get there. The Red Sea didn’t part until the children of Israel began to step in faith. There is more in store than what meets the eye. As your vision expands your resources will increase.
7. The Least Resistant Path – The least resistant path is not always the best, but it is usually the easiest. Don’t do what’s easy, do what’s best! Don’t settle for less than God’s best. Settle in your heart today to never settle for less. Settlers settle, that’s what they do. They settle with the familiar. They settle with what’s easy. They settle with what they know to be best. They settle with what they’ve always done. They settle with what they are comfortable with. They settle with what they have the resources to accomplish. They settle with the least resistant path. Don’t be a settler!
