With the holidays coming, many of us live with significant levels of discontent. Why is our family the way it is? Why must we struggle to make ends meet? Why don’t we experience gratitude and peace instead of stress and anxiety? In Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Now, Paul doesn’t say that in every situation, “I am fulfilled. All my needs and wants are always met.” But he does say, “I’ve learned the secret of being content.”
Fulfillment at work is a goal that will elude many of us much of the time. Fulfillment is available to the lucky few. Contentment is available to all.
The search for fulfillment will almost always lead to a greater sense of frustration. The search for contentment will lead to a greater sense of inner peace. We are not commanded in the Bible to be fulfilled. We are commanded to be content. Fulfillment encourages selfishness, moral compromise and me-centeredness. Contentment encourages self-denial, moral consistency and others-centeredness.
What does it mean to be content? The word literally means “self-sufficient.” Contentment had a long history in Greek philosophy. It was used by the Stoic philosophers to communicate independence from our life’s circumstances, having resources inside of us that cause us to be able to be independent, being able to resist the press of our circumstances. Contentment means living above our circumstances, living beyond our circumstances, living independent of our circumstances. Contentment includes having inner peace, a sense of inner tranquility, having a centeredness that doesn’t rise or fall with every situation that’s going on around us.
Being a contented person is the opposite of being a barometer. Barometer-people rise and fall with every change in pressure. Contented people are more like gyroscopes. They are able to maintain their equilibrium, even in the face of changing circumstances.
How do we get this independence from our circumstances? How can our moods not be determined by every long grocery store line, every grating person and every traffic jam?
Here is my formula for contentment:
(Christ’s Strength + Gratitude) – (Grumbling + Entitlement) = Contentment
START WITH CHRIST’S STRENGTH. Paul says in Philippians 4.13, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Our sufficiency is not in ourselves. The ability to go beyond our circumstance, to rise above our circumstance, to be independent of our circumstance, is found through the strength of Christ alone.
“I can do everything. I have the power,” Paul says. “I have the resources. I can prevail. I can have victory. I can master the circumstances of my life. I have enough resources to counter anything that I’m facing. But not in myself; only by Christ’s strength can I overcome!”
How do we gain the strength of Christ? We pray: “Come fill me with the person and presence of Jesus. Give me your sufficiency. I’m not sufficient to deal with this talkative person. I’m not sufficient to deal with this complainer, with this paper work or with the aggravating client. I am weak, but you are strong! Dear God, fill me with Christ!”
ADD A LARGE MEASURE OF GRATITUDE. Regularly say thank you to God for every blessing. For everything God is, say thank you. In every and any circumstance, return thanks to God. The mark of contentment is thanksgiving. Pauls’ life was a model of continual thanksgiving. In surveying Paul’s letters, I discovered at least 35 individual instances of Paul giving thanks to God.
SUBTRACT GRUMBLING. We start to learn the secret of contentment when we discipline our mouths. We can say, “I’m going to start biting my tongue. I will not verbalize complaints. I can choose to control my speech. I will not grumble about my circumstances because grumbling poisons my soul.”
SUBTRACT ENTITLEMENT. By subtracting our sense of entitlement, I’m not talking about giving up our legal rights. I mean tracing our grumbling back to its roots. Grumbling is rooted in a sense of entitlement that we deserve more. “I deserve different treatment. I deserve better treatment. I didn’t sign up for this. Why should I be stuck in traffic? I deserve more – more pay; more recognition; more opportunities; more responsibilities. I deserve better – better hours; better help; better bosses; a better family; less frustration; less hassle; fewer interruptions.
If we want to really get to the root of our entitlement, we need to ask ourselves a simple question: Why? Why do we deserve more and better? Why? What is it about us that is so special? At bottom we are really saying that God and life owe us more. But God is never in our debt. He owes us nothing! Living above our circumstances, living beyond our circumstances, having inner peace whatever our circumstances, this is the good life that Christ invites us into this holiday season!