For more than
a week, I have been exploring what God’s word means by contentment; specifically,
what God has written on the secret of contentment. During this week, it has
become quite apparent that contentment is some kind of feeling of sufficiency that
is independent of situations and circumstances. For us to know true
contentment, it has to be something we can experience within ourselves no
matter what we are going through.
With this in
mind, I have been monitoring my circumstances to see how they affect me. We all
know the power of different situations to affect our emotions. We all know how
people affect us within these situations and circumstances, sometimes helping
us, often hurting us. The claim of God’s book is that God’s kind of contentment
continues unabated independent of whatever we are going through, and whoever is
involved.
The only way
that contentment can work independent of whatever situation we are in,[1]
and any circumstance we face,[2] no
matter the people-dynamic included, is if the contentment comes from something greater
than the circumstances. If there is a secret to this contentment that works in
everything we could face, it has to be bigger than the situations themselves.
It is of
special note that the person God chose to teach us these lessons went through
some of the most horrendous persecution. When he said, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content,” and, “I have learned the secret of facing plenty
and hunger, abundance and need,” he was not teaching theoretical
possibilities.
Rather, Paul
was testifying about each of the things he went through as recorded in God’s
word, and telling us that we could pick any of his painful and hurtful
experiences, and he could tell us how he learned to be content in what he went
through.
We could also
pick out his most exhilarating experiences of success in bringing people to Jesus
Christ, and in enjoying financial and material provision, and he would still
point to the secret of contentment that was bigger and better than whatever
situation or circumstance he faced.
The reason
Paul had contentment independent of situations and circumstances was because he
had “learned the secret.” What is the
secret? It is this: “I can do all things
through him who strengthens me.”[3]
Since Paul had learned that he could do “all
things” through Jesus Christ who strengthened him, there wasn’t any “thing”
that could take away his contentment in Jesus Christ his Lord. Once he knew Jesus
Christ independent of circumstances, situations, or even relationships, he
could remain content in whatever situation and circumstance that presented
itself. Jesus Christ is bigger than anything Paul faced, so nothing Paul went
through could take away what was his in Christ.
Yesterday
morning God made it so clear to me how his secret of contentment works in every
situation and circumstance I could face that it really should have been no surprise
when the last event of the day was something extremely disappointing and
painful. Earlier in the day, I had tried to write a blogpost about how blocked
goals fit into this picture, but my goal was blocked and I couldn’t get to it!
Not only
that, but the situation and circumstance at the end of the day was like a whole
domino-trail of blocked goals. Everything came together to confront me with something
in which I was not immediately feeling content, but I had my heavenly Father’s
assurance that he would teach it to me if I would come and learn from him.
Part of the
lesson is that we learn this secret of contentment in personal relationship
with God in the midst of circumstances and situations in which we are not
content. As we come to Jesus as those who “labor
and are heavy laden,” and take his yoke upon us in order to learn from him,
it is the experience of learning from him in whatever circumstances we endure
that leads us into rest for our souls.[4]
Jesus promises
this because he is the secret to contentment. We can learn contentment from him
because he is greater than what we are going through. He calls us to come to
him as we are, the weary and burdened children of God, and to take him as he
is, the “gentle and lowly in heart”
shepherd of our souls. He calls us to learn how to be content in today’s
situations and circumstances by keeping in step with him in whatever he says to
us, in whatever he takes us through, and in whatever he is doing.[5]
I should add
that, when I was preparing to have my time with God this morning, I opened up
my Bible software program in order to look up the meaning of some words. On the
home page of the program was emblazoned a beautiful poster with this Scripture:
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and
saves the crushed in spirit.”[6]
This hit me as one more way of understanding, “in whatever situation I am,” as Paul described. Even when we are
in a situation that makes us feel heartbroken and crushed in spirit, we can
learn the secret of being content “In any
and every circumstance.” Since the secret to contentment is, “I can do all things through him who strengthens
me,” we can look to Jesus for his strength, and learn to be content right
where we are.
© 2015 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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