Wandering in Unbelief
One of our greatest struggles with contentment is that we
often have an incorrect picture of what it means to be content. It’s helpful to
understand what something is not in order to have a more
correct understanding of what it is. Paul learned contentment, but
we can gain a better picture of what that really looked like from what he
shared about his life with the churches to whom he wrote. From Paul’s letters,
below are four things contentment is not.
1. Contentment is not a carefree existence.
Contentment isn’t having it all together and finding a
life of perfect balance. Nor is it an idyllic moment spent swinging on a
hammock, sipping lemonade, and reading a book on a cool fall afternoon, while
all the world around you falls apart. Paul’s description of his time in Asia
probably wouldn’t make the Facebook feed:
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the
affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our
strength that we despaired of life itself. (2 Cor. 1:8)
Burdened, afflicted, despairing—these descriptions are
not in opposition to a contented soul. In this world we won’t be free of
hardship. Contentment trusts God while walking through the hard. Joy and sorrow
can walk side by side and not be in opposition to each other.
2. Contentment is not the absence of
relational conflicts and anguish of the heart.
Paul had his share of relational disagreements, even
departing from Barnabas over a dispute regarding Mark (Acts 15:39). In
the midst of deep affection, ministry included relational anguish:
I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of
heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the
abundant love that I have for you. (2 Cor. 2:4)
Loving others means our hearts will be for them.
Contentment is not an indifferent disposition toward others. Instead, we should
expect that the depth of our love for one another will involve tears—we weep
when others weep and feel compassion in their pain. Contentment is not in
opposition to longing for the day when heartache will be over and tears will be
no more.
3. Contentment is not a life without longing
and groaning in our distress.
When we mistakenly view contentment as an endlessly
positive Pollyanna attitude, we miss entering more deeply into relationship
with Jesus. Jesus was troubled in soul on the eve of his crucifixion and in
agony prayed multiple times to the Father for rescue (Luke 22:44).
Paul described his own experience with similar distress: “In this tent we
groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling” (2 Cor. 5:2).
Contentment does not mean that we are free from desires,
longings, or heart-wrenching circumstances. If you are hurting or someone you
love needs healing, cry out to God in prayer. Contentment isn’t apathy or a
sort of “grin and bear it” mentality. We can seek solutions and help in our
trials. We can tell others we are suffering. Crying out to God for relief is
not in opposition to contentment.
"When we mistakenly view contentment as an endlessly
positive Pollyanna attitude, we miss entering more deeply into relationship
with Jesus."
4. Contentment is not freedom from fear and
anxiety.
Paul explained the state of his circumstances and inner
turmoil in stark detail:
Even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest,
but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. (2 Cor. 7:5)
Paul faced outward danger and inward fear. He bore daily
pressure and anxiety for all the churches under his care (2 Cor. 11:28).
He did not hide his struggles, both physical and emotional. Yet he took his
fears and anxieties to the Lord and experienced peace in the midst of them. As
he instructed the Philippians:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6–7)
Paul learned the secret of contentment not by freeing
himself from earthly struggles or burdens but by experiencing the power of
Christ’s presence in both his times of plenty and times of want. He embraced
Christ’s goodness in the midst of life’s hardness. All of Paul’s life
testified: Christ is enough. It is well with my soul.
This article is adapted from Growing
Together: Taking Mentoring beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests by
Melissa B. Kruger.
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