Contentment

For one Christmas as a kid (maybe two), my ultimate dream was to get Satellite Jumping Shoes. They were sketchy metal spring things to lace onto the bottom of tennis shoes. I knew for sure they would let me jump 30 feet in the air. I begged my parents to buy them from the Montgomery Ward catalog. I even tore out the page they were on, folded it up, carried it in my pocket and looked at it every day. My dream fizzled out on Christmas Eve that year when my parent’s common sense won that round – and probably saved me from a trip to the emergency room.

Later on in life, I learned that some castles in Europe are not that expensive, so why not go for it, maybe with friends! That dream didn’t happen either. In hindsight, I’m glad because my life right now would be all about fixing and maintaining instead of building and growing.

It isn’t always best to get what we want. In fact, it’s often for our own good! There will always be something bigger, better, shinier, or newer the minute we get that thing we “had” to have and the cycle begins again.

I think contentment is underrated.

It doesn’t get a lot of press in our “more is better” culture. When I slow down a bit, I remember that I like pulling out an old book to finally read it. I like using a coffee cup that reminds me of the person who gave it to me years ago. I like finding a recipe I’ve squirreled away and using it to make a meal from scratch. I like going through my closet “store” and getting something off the rack that I’d forgotten about. There’s a point where enough is truly enough – and if many of us are honest, we’d admit we’re there. When I stop and appreciate what I already have instead, a shift happens in my thinking. I become thankful. 

When I’m grateful to God for all He has provided in my life, it becomes less about me and more about “us.” I think about what I can give, instead of what I can get. Let’s do a little exercise together. Picture yourself emptying out all of the things in the place where you live and making two piles: necessities and extras. I think all of us – except the minamalists – would be shocked! Now imagine taking a bunch of the extras and giving them away to those who could truly use them.

The Holy Bible has a lot to say about contentment. Here are a few verses for us to think about today:

1 Timothy 6:6–7 (NLT): “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.”

The Apostle Paul wrote these verses in Philippians 4:12–13 (NIV) while in jail for preaching the Gospel. He learned to experience even the extremes of life with contentment because God gave him His strength to get through them:

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.“

Jesus Himself said this in Luke 12:15 (NIV):

“Then He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’“

Here’s the reason why, found in Hebrews 13:5 (NIV):

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’“

There’s the key! HE is the reason we can have contentment. As believers, He will never leave or abandon us. In Philippians 4:19 (NLT), Paul also says, “And this same God who takes care of me, will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” This is a promise for believers that He will provide every spiritual, emotional, and physical need through His infinite resources, available in Christ. It’s not a guarantee of material wealth, or getting all our wants, but assurance of complete support for what truly matters. 

Lastly, there’s a balance point, as told in the wisdom of Proverbs 30:8b–9 (NLT): 

“…give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.“

If we follow the wisdom in Scripture, we find that true contentment is found in God. HE is our treasure.

RESET HIGHER: Are you content? What can you be more thankful for today? What can you let go?