The Secret of Contentment

Jealousy, envy, and dissatisfaction with what we have compared to someone else has long been a problem. This is enough of an issue that God felt the need to dedicate one of his 10 well-known "Thou Shalt Not's" against it. It's number ten, actually. The command against coveting what belongs to another. But Paul has landed on the secret to curbing our out of control cravings and covetousness, to holding off frequent dissatisfaction and misplaced desires, to ending our envy, jealousy, and non-stop comparisons. The secret is contentment (Philippians 2:10-13).

    Contentment is such an interesting concept. It means satisfaction, a peaceful happiness with what you've got or who you are. At least that's what it means for us. Paul actually grabs onto a word that was very popular in his day among the philosophers and stoics. Autárkēs, what we translate as contentment, is a very strong belief in training oneself to be self-sufficient so that no matter what, one could take care of oneself and be happy and satisfied. 

    Paul is a big believer in this concept with one slight, all-important distinction. Paul doesn't buy into self-reliance, not ultimately. He believes in total God-reliance. That's the meaning behind his well-known, often misused quote, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." This verse isn't about athletic achievement or financial accumulation or career accolades. It's an unwavering belief that God can empower us to persevere in faith no matter what the circumstances. It's an unyielding conviction that God can fill us with peace and joy in every situation in life. In a world that constantly tells us we need "more" to be happy, contentment is far from easy. Yet it is absolutely possible through Christ who gives us strength.