By Ann Weaver.
It can be very hard to accept life as it is. Everyone wants more. Everyone wants something else. We are all working hard, trying to gain something new, something popular, something that we want so badly but can’t quite get. We try to avoid it, yet before we know it we have fallen into the same trap as so many others, and feel as if life itself doesn’t have enough in it to satisfy what we are craving.
How do we, in these times of people doing everything they can for more, be content in what we have?
First of all, we must see discontentment as a sin. Often we are discontent because we see that others have something we want, and that is coveting. We are told in the Ten Commandments not to covet, (Exodus 20:17) and are warned in Luke 12:15 (MEV) to: “…take heed, and beware of covetousness, for a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions.”
So how can we change? It is certainly a tough battle. In a society filled with people who want things all the time, it can often feel impossible not to want something- especially if it seems so right. Like a new Bible that doesn’t fall apart every time you open it or a new dress because you haven’t gotten one in several years. We can so easily justify ourselves no matter what we want, but one day we realize what we have been doing, and we are right back where we started.
The solution is simple, yet also difficult. Plainly put, we must trust God for all our needs. All our needs. Not some, not most, but all. In trusting him, we must accept and see that God is the one who has put us where we are now, and given us what we do have. Learning to trust him will also give us the opportunity for joy as we seek to do what pleases Him.
Paul wrote this to the church in Philippi: “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly … for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” (Philippians 4: 10 & 11.)
Paul was in prison at the time he composed these words. In prison! Yet he was content at the time. Why? Because he trusted in the Lord. Can you imagine being in prison- and still being able to say that you were content? We think we are in want, with our carpeted floors and electricity and pantries with multiple choices of food. Yet with this in sight, what do we really have to complain of?
Certainly, we could complain about not having our favorite type of chocolate. (Yes, that can be me; I love chocolate! J) Or about being unable to finish that last chapter in an interesting book before helping our mother in the kitchen. Or wanting that special privilege that everyone else seems to have but we don’t. But that in no way can compare to being imprisoned and in danger of losing our lives! And yet, in the midst of all that, Paul found peace and contentment while in those very circumstances.
The biggest factor in accepting where we are in life is trust. Trust. This is a hard thing for me. And we must not only trust God but also trust our parents, whom God has set in charge over us. (Ephesians 6:1) We also need to trust that God will provide all our needs, for He has said, “… they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing”. (Psalm 34:10)
One thing we also should remember is that “any good thing” may not always be what we want. The Lord determines that and knows what is best for us. What we think is good may in truth not be the best for us. We can’t always see this at the time, but in Romans 8:28 we read that “…we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.”
So, in what ways can we learn to be content?
- Pray for guidance and for help: Jesus said, “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22.) We are also commanded to “Pray without ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
- Serve the Lord: In serving God we will be content. Matthew 6:33 tells us to “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
- Give thanks for what we have: When we give thanks we begin to think of the greatness of God, instead of focusing on ourselves and what we have or do not have. In Colossians 3:17 it tells us: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father”.
In the end, when we get our eyes off of ourselves and onto the Lord, we will be content in all the blessings He has given us. We truly have so much, and learning to be content where God has placed us in life will help us both now and down the road, no matter what life may bring.
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