…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
In my last post we explored some basic understandings of the nature of true contentment. Primarily, we came to understand that contentment is more a result of the inner condition of the soul than it is the state of our outward circumstances. Furthermore, we concluded that we have to be intentional if we want our inner life to be healthy and vibrant. So in this post we will identify some ways to do that. They are in no particular order, nor is it necessary to do all of them at the same time. The point is to do something on purpose on a regular basis so that we may be strengthened within and thus enabled to experience contentment. We will explore four soul-shaping practices this week and four more next week.
Enjoy things but hold them lightly and remember their limited value.
This is the underlying message of I Timothy 6:6-8: But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
Here Paul reminds us that things are only temporarily in our hands. So we can enjoy them which is a good thing, but we must not hold them too tightly. Why? Because they can be taken away from us in an instant. It’s the same reason why Jesus told us not to fixate on earthy treasures. They are transitory at best. That which is truly valuable is eternal in nature such as godliness. When we keep this in mind, we can be much more content with our daily bread and less preoccupied with the things that are passing away.
Choose to quiet yourself, for it opens the door to contentment.
I love the way Psalm 131:2 puts it: But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. The imagery is powerful. Once a baby is weaned, it is able to rest in its mother’s arms without rooting around for another meal. The process to get there is challenging. It must be deprived of what it wants to reach this more mature state.
This is very instructive when it comes to developing contentment. We too have to calm and quiet our souls which is not easy for us. Even in our spiritual lives we are often clamoring for something from the Lord. But what we need is just the joy of being with the Lord for its own sake. We have to intentionally calm ourselves as we engage in prayer, Bible study and other spiritual practices only for the purpose of being with God. As we get better at this, we will experience more contentment.
Value the life that you have been given.
We’ve all heard the old adage that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Yet for some reason we continue to look. There is something in the false self that continues to believe that the life we have is not good enough. We need some other kind of life if we are to truly be content. Yet if we get such a life, it will only be a matter of time before we are gazing over the fence again looking for greener grass.
In I Corinthians 7:17, Paul gives us this instruction: Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. I don’t think this means that we should avoid growth in our lives or the trying of new things. I do think he is calling on us to appreciate the life that we have been given. There’s a reason for this. Often the life we are longing to have is but an illusion. It only appears to be greener. If you stood in that life long enough, you would begin to see that it has brown spots just like your life does. Furthermore, allowing ourselves to stay preoccupied with the life you think you want keeps you from experiencing the blessings of the life you already have. We simply have to quit looking over the fence.
Find the balance between plenty and want.
The writer of Proverbs has an interesting take on this. In chapter 30, verses 8-9 he writes, Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.
These verses remind us of the twin dangers of either poverty or riches. Both can be soul destroyers. On the one hand, those that are rich can become deluded to believe that they no longer need the Lord. They can fend for themselves quite well. On the other hand, those that are poor are more easily tempted to deny their faith through dishonest means to obtain what they require. Instead, the writer simply asks for the food he needs. This is broader than just food alone. It would also include any true need of life.
This is where balance comes into view. We need to work to make sure that we have the resources to take care of ourselves and our family. This protects us from pursuing ill-gotten gain. At the same time, we must be careful lest we move into excess. What is excessive is hard to measure. But we know we are getting there when our abundance is getting in the way of the health of our soul. Once we find the balance between the two, we will begin to experience a greater level of contentment. Our needs, our real needs are being met. And we can rest in that without always having to clamor for more.
Next week, we will look at four additional practices that lead to contentment. Until then let me encourage you to do something intentional this week to strengthen your soul.