The Secret of Contentment

     As a young mother, I will never forget a conversation I had with my husband one day.  I wanted the house to be immaculate just like a friend's home.  The thing is she had a maid who worked for her and so her home was always pristine.  I tried to keep things neat and tidy but with a small child and another on the way it was difficult.  When I started complaining about how messy things were, my husband said he had the solution.  He said the answer was to have a home across the street with a tunnel between our real home and this perfectly kept, undisturbed home.  Then, when company came, I could entertain them in the tidy home keeping them from seeing the normal mess that occurs in a home with children.  Somehow, I did not find that an amusing answer, but I knew he was right.  I was demanding perfection, and I was not being content in the circumstances of life.  After all, our home might be messy but it was clean.  Whether it is a spotless home or something else, we all need to learn how to be content.
     In his letter to the Philippians (4:11-13), the Apostle Paul tells the believers, from his own experience, what contentment is really all about.  "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."  Paul is not patting himself on the back here but giving the credit for his peace of heart to the Lord.  Because Christ lives big in his life, he has found it possible to accept whatever comes his way.  Oh what a victory this is!  How many people suffer an unhappy life simply because they want things they cannot afford or have at this time.
     Look at television commercials.  If we drive a certain car or live in a certain neighborhood, our value is increased by worldly standards. Then, each year, we are tantalized by newer and better cell phones, laptops, tablets or some other gadget that will make our lives easier.  In reality, the advertisers know that each of us has a void inside.  We want to be popular, significant, attractive.  They appeal to this need we have, but once we get the item, we are disappointed because it doesn't deliver what we really need.  Paul addressed this in his letter to young Pastor Timothy.
     I Timothy 6:6-12 reads:  "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."  In this passage, Paul reminds Timothy that our greatest joy and contentment come from a living relationship with Jesus Christ.  Money and wealth can quickly disappear, and the Apostle reminds Timothy that we come into the world with nothing and will leave the same way.  Striving after all the toys in the world will not give us the fulfillment that only Christ offers.  He is our significance and our worth.  He makes us new inside, and gives us a peace that allows us to face the good times and the bad.  Since our salvation is secure in Christ, we need never fear losing it the way we can lose other things.
     Cell phones can be lost or broken.  Cars get old and need to be replaced or repaired.  Houses need constant attention to stay in good condition, but "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) .  This is why Paul could be content no matter what happened to him each day.  This is what Paul wants for Timothy and for each believer.  God is our provider, and He knows what we need...not what we "want" but what we need.  Therefore, we have to learn that the secret of contentment is to rest in Christ and know that He has us right where he wants us at this time in life.  Let us learn to be content in all circumstances that we might glorify the Lord in all we do.  Selah!