But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1 Timothy 6: 6-8
But godliness with contentment is great gain...this phrase has been dancing around in my mind for the last week. It is deceptively simple. The mathematician in me sees it as a simple equation. You behave in a godly manner, you be happy with life and you will gain great things. Easy Peasy...if you are not a normal human being with wants and needs who struggles to submit your will to The Lord. If you should find it easy to be godly and content...congrats, you're probably pretty close to being done with this whole probationary period. Hopefully I'll get to shake your hand on the other side and you can tell me all of your secrets you super christian ninja! (As you can tell from the sarcasm oozing out of me...I'm certainly not there.)
Do you ever stop and consider how we are never content? Never. There is never one moment in our human state when we are not striving, hoping, yearning or agonizing over the next 'thing' that will somehow bring us to this perfect indescribable state of completion. Babies work nonstop to become verbal, mobile and independently functioning human beings. Children are aching to be older and do more. Adolescents can't wait until they drive, go to college, get a job etc. When we become young adults we ache to have 'someone', to find our perfect career. When we settle into that career we work harder and harder to promote within it. When 'someone' comes into our lives and we are finally married we seek to create our 'family' through children. When we have promoted as far as possible in our job we long for the day when we can retire. The list goes on and on until the day we are lowered into the grave.
I don't believe any of those things I mentioned are evil desires. To the contrary, I believe they are good and necessary. If there were nothing to strive for in this life we would quickly loose all desire to do anything. That is human nature. And yet that verse repeats in my mind...but godliness with contentment is great gain. If our drive comes from an internal need to improve our state in life, wouldn't contentment be the enemy of any reasonably active person? Wouldn't contentment be the enemy of diligence and determination? At a minimum it's lazy cousin? And yet we are cautioned that combined with godliness it is great gain. What does it mean to be godly and to be content?
In my pursuit of this answer I looked up the definition of content which directed me to the definition of satisfied, which directed me to the word appease. Mildly frustrated with definitions that only reference other words, I was expecting even more ambiguity when I looked down below the word appease to see: to bring to a state of peace or quiet. I couldn't help but smile. What a perfect definition and a perfect description of what The Lord does for my ever yearning heart.
I love my life. I have amazing friends and family that span multiple continents. I have a job that is more fun and fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. I have a nice roof over my head, a reliable car to drive and plenty of food to eat. If I made a list of my blessings day to day you would quickly be overwhelmed at its size, I know that I often am. And yet....and yet...there are things that I hope for but have no evidence will ever come my way. I realize this is not a unique experience and am convinced we all have our secret (or maybe not so secret) hopes for our future or the future of our loved ones. Those hopes are not bad things, they do not imply that we are desperate or weak or unable to accept the blessings we have been given. It is good to hope for good things, and we should hope for them. So, how do we keep that hope alive without allowing it to overshadow the place in which we currently reside on our individual time lines?
Do you ever stop and consider how we are never content? Never. There is never one moment in our human state when we are not striving, hoping, yearning or agonizing over the next 'thing' that will somehow bring us to this perfect indescribable state of completion. Babies work nonstop to become verbal, mobile and independently functioning human beings. Children are aching to be older and do more. Adolescents can't wait until they drive, go to college, get a job etc. When we become young adults we ache to have 'someone', to find our perfect career. When we settle into that career we work harder and harder to promote within it. When 'someone' comes into our lives and we are finally married we seek to create our 'family' through children. When we have promoted as far as possible in our job we long for the day when we can retire. The list goes on and on until the day we are lowered into the grave.
I don't believe any of those things I mentioned are evil desires. To the contrary, I believe they are good and necessary. If there were nothing to strive for in this life we would quickly loose all desire to do anything. That is human nature. And yet that verse repeats in my mind...but godliness with contentment is great gain. If our drive comes from an internal need to improve our state in life, wouldn't contentment be the enemy of any reasonably active person? Wouldn't contentment be the enemy of diligence and determination? At a minimum it's lazy cousin? And yet we are cautioned that combined with godliness it is great gain. What does it mean to be godly and to be content?
In my pursuit of this answer I looked up the definition of content which directed me to the definition of satisfied, which directed me to the word appease. Mildly frustrated with definitions that only reference other words, I was expecting even more ambiguity when I looked down below the word appease to see: to bring to a state of peace or quiet. I couldn't help but smile. What a perfect definition and a perfect description of what The Lord does for my ever yearning heart.
I love my life. I have amazing friends and family that span multiple continents. I have a job that is more fun and fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. I have a nice roof over my head, a reliable car to drive and plenty of food to eat. If I made a list of my blessings day to day you would quickly be overwhelmed at its size, I know that I often am. And yet....and yet...there are things that I hope for but have no evidence will ever come my way. I realize this is not a unique experience and am convinced we all have our secret (or maybe not so secret) hopes for our future or the future of our loved ones. Those hopes are not bad things, they do not imply that we are desperate or weak or unable to accept the blessings we have been given. It is good to hope for good things, and we should hope for them. So, how do we keep that hope alive without allowing it to overshadow the place in which we currently reside on our individual time lines?
I believe that contentment is tied to faith and that it is indeed a gift that comes from exercising faith. In Hebrews 11:1 it says that faith is the substance of the things we hope for and the evidence of things we cannot see. (my paraphrasing) Throughout my life I have struggled with various things that have the power to make me discontent. I could use a new car, I don't make as much money as I would like, I'm still single, I would like to travel more....all of these things fight to take away my sense of peace. Our culture in general and sometimes even well meaning family/friends emphasize these 'needs' that we have or aspects of our lives that are somehow 'lacking'. If we are being honest with ourselves we have all fallen prey to forgetting the blessings we are surrounded with and focusing only on that one thing we hope for that has not yet made it's appearance. And if we are being honest with ourselves we have all fallen prey to accidentally being that family member/friend who points out where another person's hope is yet to come to fruition. Being the 'salt in the wound' instead of the 'healing balm' that reminds them that you have faith in their hopes.
When I find myself trapped in the battle (And when I say battle, I mean battle in all of its implications. I mean straight up arguing with God because I don't understand or like the answer I'm getting.) between what I want, what I have and what I truly need, it is faith that guides me back into a place of inner quiet. It is faith that reassures me I have not been forgotten and I will not go without anything that is needed. I choose to believe in a God of miracles who has power over the whole of heaven and earth. I choose to believe His promises to me will not be forgotten or unfulfilled. I have seen His righteous hand move in my life and bless me in the past, and I choose to believe He will bless me in the future. I choose faith, and when I make that choice it becomes the substance that sustains my hopes for the future. It becomes to my heart all of the evidence that I need to believe in what I cannot see. And in that moment, choosing to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac and Joseph, He responds with a gift of reassurance. I find that my heart, which moments before was in complete turmoil wondering what and how and why, has become quiet and full of peace.
This does not mean that I no longer hold out hope for that thing in my life, it simply means I have peace with and accept that it will come how, and when God chooses. It means that I have, in that one point, given my will up to the will of God because I trust in Him to direct my life as He sees fit. It is in this process of exercising faith and giving up my will that I am able to be content while I wait on His promises for my life. Contentment is great gain because it is through the process of obtaining it that we are able to strengthen our faith and sacrifice our will to the will of our creator. The sacrifice of our will to God is the only true offering we can ever make to Him, for it is the only thing of our own that we have to give. In that sacrifice we show Him our love and in response He shows His love for us by giving our hearts true contentment. A peace that passes all human understanding.
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