CONTENTMENT

Philippians 4:12

 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

                We live in a society that breeds discontent. Every day we are being told that what we have is not good enough and it needs to be replaced. We are enticed by a standard of consumption that most of us will never be able to achieve. This reinforces our feelings of discontent with our life. We strive harder and harder to fill an artificial void in our lives that only expands the more we try to fill it. Solomon warned us that striving for more and more is an insatiable appetite.

Whoever loves money never has money enough;

whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.

This too is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

                I have been reading a challenging book by Dr. Richard Swenson titled, “Contentment.” It has caused me to examine my own sense of discontent. I have identified for myself three main areas where discontent can creep into my life.

                I have become aware of being discontent with my current situation. This feeling of discontentment comes from the desire to be someplace other than where I am. Let me explain. When I retired from my ministry in Mankato, my wife and my desire was to move closer to our children and grandchildren. We felt that God was calling us to transition from being the full-time pastor in a local church to being an interim pastor. So, we sought an interim position that would move us closer to our ultimate destination, which is Michigan. Instead, God called us to North Dakota, the opposite direction from where we wanted to be.

                Our time here has been a great blessing, but I realized that I was constantly thinking about what was next. Instead of being content for the present where God had placed me, I was focusing my thoughts on what I hope will be the next step. The outcome was that I was not being fully engaged. God has convicted me that He wants me to be fully engaged here for as along as He desires for me to be here.

                Many of us struggle with discontentment about our current situation. We find ourselves looking beyond where we are to some ideal place in the future. The cost of this discontent is that we miss out on the blessing God has for us in the present. We literally sacrifice the present for what might be in the future. It is not wrong for us to have hopes and dreams for the future, as long as they do not rob us of the present.

                I have become aware of being discontent with what I have. This winter has been particularly cold and snowy. There have been many evenings when I have longed for the comfort of the fireplace we had in our home in Mankato. When I think about our future home, I desire to have a wood-burning fireplace. As I read in Dr. Swenson’s book, I was convicted that I was focusing more on what I do not have, instead of what I do have. The church has provided a nice house for us. It is warm and secure, and offers us everything we need right now. I need to learn to be content with what I have and not focus on what I do not have.

                Most of us struggle with this form of discontent. In fact, our entire economy is based on this kind of discontent. We are constantly being offered something bigger, better, and more advanced than what we have. The outcome is that we are not thankful for what we do have. All that we have is a gift from God. We should sincerely give Him thanks that we have a warm place to sleep and have food on the table. In 1 Timothy, Paul challenges us to put the brakes on our discontent.

    But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 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. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

                I have become aware of being discontent with my purpose. Having transitioned from being the full-time pastor of a medium sized church to being the interim pastor of a small church, I have struggled to embrace my new role. It is one thing to understand my role intellectually. It is something different to embrace it emotionally. So much of our sense of self-worth is wrapped up in what we do. If we do not see the value in what we do, we lose our sense of worth.

                God has been teaching me to not only be content with my current role, but to embrace it with joy. My self-worth is not determined by what I do, but by for whom I am doing it. God has called me to a life of pastoral ministry. The place or circumstances under which I fulfill that role are less important than my faithfulness to the task God has set before me.

                Paul encourages us to find our motivation and purpose in serving the Lord, not in fulfilling a certain role. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24) What we do does not define us. It is how we do what we do that does.

                Discovering true contentment is really a very freeing experience. It frees us to fully enjoy life right where we are. It frees us from the anxiety of longing for something that is just out of our reach. It awakens us to the multitude of God’s blessings, large and small, that He has for us right where we are.

Godliness with contentment is truly great gain!