How to Tame a Dragon

"How to Tame a Dragon"

By Keisha Fowler

Years ago, I did a reflective exercise that helped me understand how I perceived myself and the world around me at that time. In that exercise, I envisioned myself as a dragon, burning up everything around me because I was dissatisfied with how things were playing out. Several things weren’t going the way I had hoped or planned.

The dragon in me shows up through my words, through creating distance, or through quiet disapproval. And here’s a fun fact about me, I have no poker face. It’s very easy to tell when the dragon has emerged.

Looking back, that image feels a little comical. But as I’ve been exploring what it means to be content in this season of life, that picture of the dragon burning everything it can’t control has come back to mind.

So, what does it actually mean to be content, especially in a way that carries into my work?

I Take Better Care of What Matters

One of the first things I’ve noticed is that when I lean into God’s invitation to be content, I begin to see people more clearly than the problem in front of me. Instead of reacting to what didn’t go my way, I’m more likely to step back and ask:

• Is it worth burning this up?

• How will this affect this person?

• How will this impact a relationship I care about?

• What could this disrupt that God is actually doing?

When I’m content, unhealthy competitiveness fades. There’s no race. There’s partnership, with God and with others. The dragon is still there, but instead of reacting, it becomes something that can be used to protect what matters, relationships, healthy work, and the things God is doing in and through me.

I Learn to Enjoy What Is

Secondly, when I’m content, I enjoy life more. I enjoy the work in front of me. I enjoy the people around me. I can appreciate things for what they are in this moment instead of constantly measuring them against what I wish they were.

I See God's Work More Clearly

Lastly, I can see more clearly what God is doing. When I step back and choose contentment, it’s like the smoke clears. I’m not as focused on control or outcomes going my way. I’m able to trust God with what’s ahead, which allows me to be fully present. I can dream about the future without despising the present, and I can stay engaged in what God is doing in and through my work while being grateful for what has already been done.

It’s not that the dragon disappears. It just changes.

The dragon becomes more patient. It waits. It’s no longer reacting to everything that doesn’t go as planned. It’s only used when something truly needs to be addressed, something that could harm me, the people around me, or the work God is doing. And even then, it’s handled with prayer, discernment, and intention.

Most of the time, the dragon rests.

This is a slow and steady process. The dragon has to be retrained, and honestly, so do I. I’m learning new ways of responding, new ways of seeing, and new ways of trusting.

If this resonates with you, here are a few questions to explore:

1. How has the “beast” in you caused a little chaos lately? If so, where might you need to extend yourself grace?

2. What would your work look like if you were truly content?

3. When was the last time you were fully content? What were the circumstances or mindsets that shaped that? Where were you spiritually in that season?

Contentment doesn’t remove the fire. It just teaches it where it belongs.

¹⁰ How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. ¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. ¹⁴ Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

Philippians 4:10-14