One of the biggest challenges most people face is finding contentment. Unfortunately, our culture has poorly taught this skill, confusing it with the pursuit of happiness. I think there is a BIG difference.
Happiness comes and goes. Many people attempt to reach happiness by chasing things… Things such as entertainment, food, clothing, or new relationships.
Contentment is a more stable quality, and is often found in the stillness that follows the subtraction of things… This is why Paul was able to discover the secret even though he wrote this verse in prison! Contentment does not depend on what you have or where you are. Instead, it hinges on knowing who you are and to Whom you belong.
In talking with people, I find they frequently have ambivalent feelings about contentment. They long for it, and yet are afraid if they attain it they will lose their motivation to accomplish. They might do nothing except become a lazy beach bum! Here is how I see this inner conflict played out in some of the clients with whom I work.
On one hand, theologically they know who they are in Christ. They have studied the Bible verses about their identity in Him and understand that He has already made them right before God because of His finished work on the Cross. Yet the picture they hold in their mind (whether it looks like the perfection of Christ, or some ideal formed from mass media’s image of perfection) keeps them feeling bad about themselves. They know the reality of who they are does not compare to their idealized standard, and therefore contentment eludes them.
On the other hand, they are afraid to stop mentally punishing themselves for not measuring up. They fear if they stop their harsh judgments, they won’t attain spiritually what Paul modeled when he said, “'I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, they live with this tension. They want to be content and able to rest in the merits of what Christ has already done; instead, they are driven. Even if they are extremely successful, it is never enough, and they can’t seem to get off of the performance treadmill!
So how do we get to the place where we are content with who we are (and Who we are in) and yet remain confident that we will “finish well the course that has been set before us”? I certainly don’t have all the answers to that question. However, in my next several blogs I will share some keys to what I believe unlocks the secret that Paul found.
Until then, I leave you with this question… I won’t ask what you have, but what has you?
God Bless~Deb
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