…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11b-13
After completing my freshman year in college, there was one thing that I wanted more than anything else – a car, any car. The thought of going through another year without wheels was almost unbearable. Thankfully, my parents had mercy on me during the summer before my sophomore year and bought me a 1974 Dodge Colt. It was a two-door with manual transmission, vinyl seats, vinyl floorboard, no air conditioning, and no radio. I sometimes joked that the steering wheel was the only accessory that came with it. Oh, and it was pea green. But it was a car, and that’s what I wanted.
Guess what? Though I got what I wanted, I wasn’t content despite the fact that other students at my school still had no personal transportation. No, I wanted something better – with air conditioning and a different color. A couple of years later, I got my wish only to find myself wanting something better again. Throughout the years I have repeated this scenario many times. For some reason I have a tendency to want something newer, better, bigger, fancier, more reliable, more economic etc. etc. No matter what I got, I wasn’t content.
I don’t think that I’m alone in my struggles with contentment. Your issue may not be the latest, greatest vehicle on the market like it is for me. It may be a different job, a bigger house, a new marriage partner, a larger retirement account, more recognition, nicer clothes, a closer relationship with your children, more luxurious vacations and on it goes. We want what we want. But when we get it, it never seems to be enough. We want something else.
Paul addressed the issue of contentment in his letter to the Philippians. Though his comments are brief, they are loaded with guidance on developing a greater level of contentment. So I want to invite you to join me in a three-part post as together we seek to learn the same secret of contentment that Paul learned.
Contentment is not automatic just because we follow Jesus.
Even though we should know better, there is still a tendency to think that we ought to be content just because we believe in Jesus. Certainly, we are given the greatest of gifts when we come to faith in Christ. Our sins are forgiven. Our purpose is established. Our hope is secured. Again, what a gift. But as great as it is, salvation doesn’t grant us automatic contentment. It’s learned. That’s what Paul meant when he wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content.” If contentment didn’t come automatically to him, we shouldn’t expect it either.
Contentment is based on an inward condition not an outward circumstance.
At one time or another most of us have said something like, “If only…. (you fill-in the blank), I would be content.” Typically, the thing we use to fill-in the blank is some kind of change in our outward circumstances. Yet if we’re paying attention, we will discover that even if some circumstance is changed to our liking, it doesn’t result in lasting contentment. And there’s a reason for that. Contentment is an inside job. It has way more to do with the state of our soul than it does the ebb and flow of our circumstances. And it doesn’t matter if our circumstances are good or not. We can be just as discontented in our abundance as we are in our deprivation. So if we are habitually discontented, we need to look within. Something is amiss with our soul.
Contentment has to be learned.
Paul is most emphatic about this. He had learned the secret of being content. That learning comes as all learning does, though disciplined intentionality and repetition. Think about how you learned your multiplication tables. You didn’t just look at the list and instantly remember what 7×8 equals. You had to learn it. Perhaps you started with your ones. 1×1=1. 1×2=2. And when you practiced your ones and really knew them, you started on your twos. You continued doing this until you knew 1×1 through 9×9. Not only that, but you continued to practice them. Even years later you are still practicing every time you need to multiply something quickly in your head.
The same is true when it comes to learning contentment. We have to discipline ourselves to intentionally practice that which brings us contentment and repeat it over and over again throughout our lives. So what we do practice? We might think that what we need is to count our blessings as the old hymn suggests. While that is a good thing to do, it isn’t the secret to contentment. Remember blessings are more often than not based on external circumstances. And as we have noted, circumstances or blessings do not determine our contentment, not even good blessings.
Paul gives us a clue as to what the secret of contentment is when he indicates that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. Therein is the key to contentment. It has to do with the quality of our spiritual life with Christ and how we are allowing that to fill our souls.
Easier said than done, right? Of course. But it can be done. We just have to learn how to develop our souls in ways that lead to contentment. We will explore this together in my next post. But for now, take heart. Greater contentment is possible.