Navigating the Mysteries of FaithSample

Be Content

Many of us believe we have contentment. However, if we were to ask ourselves what we complain about each day, such as not catching a cab or spilling coffee on our clothes, we might realize that it is quite easy for us to lose that attitude of contentment.

It is difficult to imagine someone who experienced more struggles than the apostle Paul. He relentlessly traveled to spread the gospel and plant churches. He risked his life and endured persecution. He dedicated time to forming Christ in new disciples and never asked for financial support for himself. How could he persevere through all this difficulty?

The answer is paradoxical: He learned to endure by learning to be content. To be content is to be satisfied with what one is or has. Contentment is not the same as complacency.

Paul was not complacent; he constantly advocated, planned, and initiated. What Paul did not do was demand specific results. He did not idolize a specific circumstance, which allowed him to discover peace in all circumstances. No matter the difficulty he went through, he trusted that God had a good plan and purpose for it. He did not place “work conditions” on God. Instead, Paul set his eyes on Him, remembering that we work for the Lord, not for human masters.

The great theologian Francis Schaeffer had an interesting definition of true spirituality that echoes this aspect of Paul’s life. Schaeffer postulated that true spirituality is continuing to strive no matter the circumstances. It consists of fighting the battles we find ourselves in and walking with courage, patience, wisdom, and humility.

The greater sense we have of our calling to set the kingdom of God here on earth, to proclaim His praises and love to those who don’t know Him, the more readily we can see circumstances as merely the water in which we swim. Circumstances should not define us, nor should they define success or failure. Circumstances are merely the field we play on, the arena in which we perform because we are pilgrims on earth.

Lord, whether I am performing before thousands in Carnegie Hall or on a street corner, I want to be content with where You have placed me and to faithfully do the job You have set before me. All I have here is temporary; my real treasure is with You in heaven.