“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” – Phil.4:11
If you could use one word to describe people today, what would it be? I’m pretty sure that angry would be high on the list. Worried or depressed would certainly get honorable mentions as well. But if I had just one word to describe the dominant mood of folks in our culture, I’d probably say discontent.
There’s a pervasive restlessness, anger, and frustration in our society that’s palpable. Everywhere we go, we see people who aren’t satisfied or at rest with their present situation. The problem isn’t just “out there” in the unbelieving world. It’s widespread in the church as well. The truth is, most of us reading this article are probably struggling with discontentment. I know I’ve been.
Defining Discontentment
Webster defines discontentment as “uneasiness or inquietude of mind; dissatisfaction at any present state of things.” Discontentment is the belief that we would be truly satisfied if our present situation was different. Discontentment says that we need something more, something different, or something better in order to be happy.
In other words, discontentment is unbelief in the goodness of God’s character and providential orchestration of our lives.
Why Are We So Discontent?
The Preacher said in Ecclesiastes that “all things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing (1:8).” Naturally, no one’s satisfied with what they have. We’re covetous, always on the lookout for something other than what we have in the elusive quest for satisfaction. The ironic thing is, the more we get what we want, the more discontent we become. Why? Because nothing apart from Christ really satisfies.
Our restless discontentment is further exasperated by our culture. Fiction is consistently portrayed as reality. We scroll through our social media accounts and longingly view our friend’s picture-perfect life. We see their prestige, influence, beauty, or unique giftedness. “If I had what they have, I’d be set.” In addition, the message of our culture fosters unrealistic expectations about life that largely go unmet. Many of us have been told since childhood that we were special, that we should aspire to “change the world” and do something great (perhaps even great for God). We fully expect to live exceptional lives. But the truth is, our life is pretty unexceptional. For most of us, there’s not a whole lot of epic going on. Mundane tasks take up most of our time as we live, work, and play with ordinary people in ordinary places.
Contentment in a Restless Age
It’s within this restless struggle that God calls us to worship Him by learning contentment. The Scriptures state that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (I Tim.6:6). The Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs referred to contentment as the “rare jewel” of the Christian life. Indeed, it is.
Contentment is that “sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit that freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”[1] It is active faith and hope in the goodness of God’s character and providential orchestration of our lives.
Learning contentment doesn’t just happen. As we see from Philippians 4, contentment is learned in the school of both affliction and prosperity as we set our hope continually upon God.
Learning Contentment
So how do we, like the apostle, learn to be content?
#1. Learning Contentment Begins with Our Functional Beliefs about God
A.W. Tozer once noted, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”[2] Think about that for a moment. Everything we think, do, and feel flows out of our functional theology.
Please note, I used the term functional quite deliberately. It’s one thing to say or confess that God is good, wise, and loving. It’s quite another thing to cling in hope to those realities when life isn’t going according to plan. Contentment occurs when the truths we know about God shape how we interpret and respond to our present situation.
#2. Contentment is Cultivated in an Attitude of Gratitude
Gratitude overflows from a heart humbled and captivated by gospel grace. It is an expression of faith that also deepens faith. What happens when we embrace an attitude of gratitude? Our focus becomes reoriented. Our gaze shifts away from our selfish tendency to think that we need more in order to humbly celebrate all that God has done, is doing, and will do for us in Christ.
#3. Contentment Deepens as Christ Continually Becomes Our Treasure
Burroughs once again notes, “A Christian could find contentment in any circumstance if Christ Himself is our cherished possession… My brethren, the reason why you do not have contentment in the things of the world is not that you do not have enough of them. The reason is that they are not things proportional to that immortal soul of yours that is capable of God Himself.”[3] Christ is enough, dear reader. You and I don’t need something more, something different, or something better to find true satisfaction. In Christ, we have “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph.1:3). He has given us “everything we need for life and godliness” (I Pet. 1:4). Having Christ, we lack no true treasure necessary for fullness of joy.
[1] Jeremiah Burroughs, Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory. Reformation Heritage Books, 2013, xiii
[2] A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God. HarperCollins, 1978, 1
[3] Burroughs, xiii
