I last posted on the topic of anxiety, something I struggle with in regards to our finances. Over the last weeks as I’ve been thinking more about this, I’ve come to realize that an absence of worry is a good thing, but to be truly content with what you have is far better. This is a state of mind we all crave, but one that we rarely enjoy.
Western culture is set up to be about as opposed to the experience of true contentment as you can get. Our whole marketing industry is predicated on making you believe that what you have is inadequate -- that your life will be less than complete if you miss out on owning whatever is being touted at that moment as the answer to your discontent. These messages bombard us from every possible quarter and it’s almost impossible to remain cognizant of their influence and to filter them out.
When we pay attention to our thoughts, we find ourselves comparing our lives to those of others, resulting in envy and dissatisfaction. We find that we are traveling though life subconsciously searching for that one elusive thing we hope will bring us contentment while often unaware or forgetting that contentment is not about what we have, but about who we already are in Jesus, if we have entered into a personal relationship with Him.
So how do we find contentment with our financial situations whatever they may be? The apostle Paul, who enjoyed success in every arena of life, gave it all up to serve the cause of Christ. He was diametrically opposed to his/our culture’s materialistic pursuit of contentment. Here is what he says in his letters to the Philippians and Timothy. The same sentiment is echoed in Hebrews. While studying these, some key thoughts hit me concerning pursuit of true, lasting contentment.
Philippians 4:11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (NLT)
As I look to Jesus to give strength and joy for life, my focus shifts from having material wealth as a source of fulfillment and onto Him. As I center more of my attention on Him, the distracting, anti-contentment messages around me begin to fade and I crave more of Him and less of the counterfeits. Paul says that he “learned to be content”. As humans we are naturally discontented. We choose to learn contentment through a process of getting our focus reoriented onto Jesus.
1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (NIV)
Having an eternal perspective helps us to stay content. Realizing and remaining conscious that our stuff won’t travel with us to the next life sharpens our focus on what is truly important in this one. We start to see our wealth as a tool to be used here, rather than something to collect and hoard.
Hebrew 13:5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (NLT)
As we grow in our understanding of God’s unending love for us, we’ll start to relax our controlling desire to make sure all contingencies in life are planned for. We’ll stop basing our security and future happiness on the things we own and we’ll start to rest in the love of our perfect Father who has promised to remain faithful in all of life’s ups and downs.
NOTE: I recently watched a secular movie called The Joneses that offered a surprisingly pointed critique of our cultural obsession with comparing our wealth to our neighbors’. While I don’t agree with everything in the movie, it was provocative in challenging materialistic trends.
