The Contentment Myth

I've been thinking about contentment lately and I have this sneaking suspicion that it doesn't mean quite what I think it means. When someone talks about being content my mind automatically jumps to, "I can't need or want anything. If I do, then I'm not content with what I have." Paul talks about being content in every circumstance, yet Hebrews 11 lauds these heroes of the faith who were longing for a better country. Surely these people weren't content if they were longing for a better place. Was Paul saying that he never wanted anything different, anything more?

Specifically in Philippians 4:11-12 Paul says, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Notice he included hunger and need, situations where he obviously wanted something more. Likewise Paul does not say, "I have learned not to need anything." Ultimately what he's saying is, "Jesus gives me the strength to face situations where I am in need."

Hebrews 13:5-6 also talks about being content, "Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" This reminds me of Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" God has provided in the most amazing way! Why should we doubt that He will continue to provide?

Maybe the contentment idea is not about not wanting, but about trusting God to provide. Maybe rather than taking away something we have (need) we should let it be and add something to it (trust). Why should we not trust our loving heavenly Father? Think about it, He gave us Jesus-part of himself-so that He (the Father) could be with us-filthy little creations stained with sin. If He wants to be with us that badly, why would He withhold something from us that will be good for us? He wouldn't! However trusting Him and His timing and His goodness is the difficult part because we have to give up control-our idea of what life should look like.

So many times I have gotten the message that I need to be less, long for less, desire less. Though it seems the words of Philippians, Hebrews, Romans and Psalms do not say, "You are longing for too much. Just temper those desires and when you get it right, God will meet them." Instead those books (or the passages above) seem to make God big, "Look at this: God will never leave. He will always be there for you. What do you have to worry about? You can trust Him for all things. He gave His son for you!" Everything else seems tiny compared to that.

One important step that I often skip over is asking the question, "What is at the root of what I am desiring?" or "What do I really want?" For example my desire to have a husband is not just for the sake of having a husband, I actually really long for someone to know me deeply. And being married does not ensure that someone knows you deeply. Further, I would guess that even if I were married, the longing to be known would seem just as strong as it does now. Maybe this could be because this desire to be known was placed in me by an eternal Creator who is not bound by any human limits. So there are really these deep desires running below the surface of our lives, like streams running underground. What we feel (or see) is just a little bit of what is really there.

However it is in these deep desires that we can know more of who God is because we learn more about how we were created. What does the fact that we have these deep longings tell us about God. If we have them they must be able to be filled. How great our God that He can fill these deep, eternal desires of our souls!