Contentment, by Will

I listened to a book this past week that wasn't what I was expecting. The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains by Robert Lustig ultimately talks about how sugar is evil, and the need for instant gratification fuels our need for "the other white powder". While the book contains a lot of fascinating information, I learned that you can buy a Coca-Cola anywhere in the world except for North Korea, that eggs are pretty much the best single food you can eat, and that kids who sleep with a cell phone in their room sleep less than kids who don't, the biggest thing that stood out to me was the concept of happiness vs. contentment.

I'm going to pull out one of the most misquoted verses of the Bible in this post, so anyone who reads this is no longer allowed to misquote this passage. Philippians 4.13 says, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Any Bible verse I quote, unless otherwise indicated, is the NASB. I prefer this translation because it is the most literal translation of the original text).

As with any Biblical reference, context is crucial to understand what the author meant. Typically, this verse is taken by itself to mean that Christ will empower us to do anything, but that is not the meaning Paul was trying to communicate to the Philippian Church. The context says this,

"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 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. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction." -Philippians 4.10-14

The key to this passage is found in verse 11, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Paul is saying that He has found contentment in Christ, and can endure anything he faces because of the strength Christ gives him. Paul is not speaking of experiencing happiness, this man's life after Christ was full of struggles, read 2 Corinthians 11.24-31. Happiness was never his goal, and it shouldn't be ours. Happiness is fleeting, and when that becomes the goal we seek high after high, always needing more because we build up a tolerance, as Lustig points out. The goal, and the only way to find true satisfaction and joy, is to live for something other than an emotion that is so conditional upon external circumstances. The goal is joy that only comes from contentment in Christ.

Life is hard, and quite often it isn't fair, and if we live for happiness these realities will cause bitterness and resentment due to our sense of entitlement that isn't being fulfilled. But when we focus on being content, we can find true satisfaction in who Christ is, and who we are to Him.

Let us learn to be content, and when we learn to be content, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. We will be free from a dependence to satisfy a fleeting emotion, and able to pursue a life that is really worth living. A content life can endure hardship, because Christ is with you, teaching and molding you through the difficulty. A content life can really enjoy blessings, because it will not create a need for more, but will be fully enjoyed in the moment. A content life is free to fully know Christ and be known by Christ. That is the life that He intended for us to live, content in whatever circumstances we are, because we can do all things through Christ.

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!