Because nothing says lazy blogging like posting old stuff! But hey, it is a favorite of mine. Hope you enjoy it!

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Contentment is a hard thing.

con·tent·ment (kən-tĕnt’mənt) pronunciation
n.

1. The state of being contented; satisfaction.
2. A source of satisfaction: the contentments of a comfortable retirement.

Being satisfied. It’s really hard in our spoiled American “give me, I deserve it” culture. We see so many things we “need”. Right?

A bigger house, a nicer car, a larger, flatter screened television, more cable channels, faster computers, better behaved children, a more loving, undestanding, or romantic spouse, more understanding parents, a higher paying job, an easier job, better neighbors….get the drift?

It seems we are the only ones “without” these things we “need”. We perceive ourselves as having drawn a more bitter lot in life….everyone we know seems to have it al together….perfect children, who never get into trouble, forget to clean their rooms or make C’s on their spellling tests, husbands who never fail to be romantic and shower them with dinners out and roses, of course their mother-in-law is not a nag, their boss is kinder and more understanding, and gives promotions more freely…and somehow we feel that we’ve been dealt some unfair hand by God. God has it in for us…and us specifically.

I once had a friend in high school – and granted, she had a tough home life, I’ll be the first to admit to that…But as much as I love her, she was a great lamenter. Life was not fair! According to her, she had it worse than anyone….

One day, after on of her whining tirades, she says, “You are so lucky. Your life is perfect. It’s not fair that you have the perfect life.”

Me? I’d had quite enough. And as a grouchy, moody, non-Christian adolescent who was rather self-centered, thinking her lot in life unfair and everyone else had it much better I simply retorted, “I have as many problems as anyone. I just don’t whine about them constantly, like you do.”

I do realize that wasn’t the most tactful way of handling the situation but like I said, I was a moody, unsaved teenager….

And I remember the girl I looked up to. The girl I thought had the perfect life. She was my preacher’s daughter. And about six years older than me. She was model-gorgeous and the guys adored the ground she walked on. She had perfect grades through high school and even better in college. She was smart, beautiful, athletic (can we say basketball player?Yeah!) and married a man much her equal. He was very nice to look at, sang beautifully (minister of music at his church actually) and incredibly smart.

I thought her life was perfect. I often wished I was her as a younger girl. And then I realized that everyone, and I mean everyone, has their own issues to deal with. And one day I decided I really didn’t want to be this girl anymore.

You see, on the one month anniversary of this girl and her husband, this girl was driving through the night with her husband in the passenger seat. They were headed home to visit family (they moved after their marriage) and were taking turns driving. This girl fell asleep while driving and wrecked the car. While she walked away without a scratch, her new husband was killed instantly.

Depressing story, I know. And for your information this woman has remarried and is the mother of several lovely children now.

But this story shows that I thought certain lives were charmed. God favored some above others. And though sometimes it seems that some have perfect lives, that is not always the case.

During some e-mail correspondence with William from Job’s Tale (which happens to be a most excellent blog, check it out!) he shared an interesting story with me.

I am reminded of a story about Jedediah Johnson (it may be apocryphal).

The story goes that he went on a rampage of revenge after Indians
killed his wife. At one point he was captured. They were toying with
him and they stripped him naked and made him run between two rows of
warriors with war clubs. They beat him as he ran and teasingly gave
him a head start.

The first to catch up to him he killed and took the native’s weapons.
He fled the band of warriors and climbed the Sierra Nevada mountains in
winter, naked. One by one the Native Americans caught up with him and
he killed them. With a knife he captured he slew a deer and made a
robe.

After telling this story the listener said that it was the most amazing
thing he ever heard. Johnson then said something like this:

“I hear that back in New York City there are these contraptions that
people ride to get to work called trolleys. They come along every so
often on a regular schedule and a fella would get on one to get to work
on time. Now say he misses one on an important day of work. He might
lose his job, the only way he has to feed his family. Missing that
thing might be the worse thing that has ever happened to him ’cause it
means ruin for his family. Everybody has got troubles. And they are
all big to the folks that have them. In the big scheme of things, get
caught by the Blackfoots was no worse that that fella missin’ that
trolley thing.”

Wow. Talk about not feeling sorry for yourself. Talk about perspective….

Could we, after such an experience be as gracious?

And William himself has had some tough times (check out his blog for more infomation-seriously-his blog is great!) but this is what he has to say about it all :

I have had some difficulties in my life. Some I haven’t shared on my
blog, many I have. But I look at them and I see how I have changed and
grown and I love my Lord so much. Sorrow, grief, struggles, are all
part of the arrangement that comes with free will. We need to accept
the consequences to having the freedom to choose our way over the
Lord’s. A fascinating side effect is that through such difficult times
we can grow.

I have a long ways to go, but I am comfortable with my age (50 this
spring) and I can see that by the time I am old I will have finally
gotten the hang of what this life is all about. I will be ready for
eternity. And I think that is the key to understanding all of this.
This life is a preparatory experience. It is simply a warm up lap for
eternity.

I know that not feeling sorry for yourself is not the same thing as contentment. But it’s a good step in that direction…

As Christians we are commanded to be content.

1 Timothy 6:6-12 says

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Check this out.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Remeber contentment means satisfied. Satisfied with what we have. Satisfied with the way our life is going…

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And our time here on Earth is short. Nothing we own can be taken with us. Earthly things are temporal….they have no eternal value. Why concern ourselves with them? What will it matter if we have a junky old car or do not have a flat screen tv?

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

God has promised to meet our needs. And we are told to be content with this. Satisfied. With food and clothing….

Dang. It didn’t mention a big house, or a maid there, did it?

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Ummm….does that sound like Americans to anyone else? To most of the world the average American is exceedingly rich. Does our wealth temp us? Is it a snare? Cause lust? Drown us in destruction and perdition?

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

If we are content with what we have, what is there to covet?

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Emphasis is mine….

Being men (or women ) of God, we are expected to flee these things….yet how often is covetousness a problem within the church? How often is it a problem with me? Or you?

I know I find myself wishing for various things…wishing for a different job…becoming jealous of people who seem to have what I want.

Yet we are commanded to be content. Satisfied!

In Philippians 4:11 Paul says

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Now we will all admit that sometimes it is easy to be content. Life is going well…but I don’t think that is the case when Paul writes this letter to the Philippians. You see, this letter was most likely written during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome. I don’t imagine that prison is fun for anyone at anytime, but I’m pretty sure that being a Christian in a Roman prison is not the most pleasant of experiences.

But Paul was content.

Not because things were going well. Not because he was being financially successful. Not because he was comfortable and had just purchased a new bass boat….

But because he had learned that it was better to be in prison doing God’s will than to be comfortable, wealthy and healthy outside of his will. Paul was fully trusting in God…

He was content.

And as Christians, we too are called to be content in whatsoever state we are in…