Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You. Psalm 33:20-22
When Marie and I first moved to Chattanooga, we lived on Lookout Mountain. With respect to the greater area, it was known as the place where “old money” lived; that is, those with established wealth resided there. While not everyone was wealthy, there were plenty of large houses and mansions as well as expensive cars. Consequently, when we purchased a home, we chose to move into the valley which not only allowed us to purchase a better home for less money, but also made it easier to be content with what God had provided for us. While I recognized at that time that coveting and the resulting lack of contentment were weaknesses of mine, God has used the various trials of life, especially my illness, to teach me about contentment and that it is, in fact, a choice. When it comes to that choice, there are three options that can cause us to readily abandon contentment: entitlement, anger, and worry.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
Due to the inheritance of our sinful nature, the only thing that we are entitled to is eternal punishment. This is a hard truth. When fully appreciated, it not only eliminates our feelings of entitlement in life, but also enhances our contentment and joy. People usually don’t get really excited about a paycheck because they feel that it is what they are due for their labor. On the other hand, an unexpected windfall generally brings a fair amount of joy as there is no expectation. If, as our first world culture would have us believe, feel entitled to wealth, health, power and ease, the realization of these things brings no great satisfaction, gratitude or elation. However, not attaining them produces anger and frustration because we feel cheated. In other words, with entitlement, the best we can hope for is that our expectations are realized with no real joy; the worst possible outcome is that we will experience resentment and all of the associated emotions. In contrast, when we recognize that our only entitlement is punishment and accept God’s great gifts of salvation and reconciliation, we are freed from the tyranny of resentment, anger and bitterness allowing us to bask in the joy of His love, feel grateful for all that He provides and choose to be content with His provisions in all matters of faith and life. In this case, the best we can hope for is contentment, gratitude, and joy for what we receive and the worst is some disappointment when we don’t receive what we would have preferred.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Ephesians 4:31
As already discussed, entitlement is often an underlying source of anger. However, even those who don’t necessarily feel entitled may become angry in response to hurt, loss and frustration. Anger is also seen in those who consistently view themselves as a victim. To be sure, scripture teaches us that there is a place for righteous indignation e.g. Christ was angry with the pervasive sin in the temple (John 2:13-22) and did not sin. Further, we recognize that anger is often a part of the grieving process. However, there is no place for unbridled anger and we should never allow our anger to persist unresolved. To that end, the best means of ridding ourselves of anger is to take it to the Lord. It may seem to be overly simple, obvious or even a cliché, but the fact remains that this is what we are instructed to do. By this I don’t mean yelling or screaming at God, but rather confess it to Him. We confess our feelings of hurt, frustration, loss, despair and helplessness. We affirm God’s sovereignty and control in our lives and draw close to Him. This allows our hearts to be softened and our hope to be restored. When hope is restored, we can once again find contentment and peace in our circumstances even though there may have been no improvement.
And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? Luke 12:25
Worry is a state of anxiety and uncertainty over potential or actual problems. Let’s start with potential problems. With all of the variables in the world, there are many issues that may be of concern. The reality is that most of them are unlikely to happen. Therefore, worrying about potential problems is an unproductive use of our time that may damage us physically. Consequently, we really need to check our emotions and redirect our thoughts. Actual problems are another issue altogether. The uncertainty of failing health or lost means of income are certainly concerning. Unsafe circumstances may be another reality. However, worry still isn’t helpful as it clouds our judgement and causes interference in our relationships with God and man.
Personally, when worry attacks, I start reading Matthew 6 and just keep reading until it dissipates or I read the Psalms. Consider first the teaching of Christ in Matthew 6:25-34: God highly values us, there is more to life than food and clothing; if God provides for birds and grass, He will do more for us; and the best remedy is to focus on righteousness and the Kingdom of God, e.g. eternal things, rather than temporal things. I Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our anxiety on God, because He cares for us. Another relevant passage is Psalm 37 which tells us not to fret, envy, worry or become angry but rather: be humble, trust in God, delight in God, commit our ways to God, rest in God and wait for Him, do good, work, and cultivate faithfulness. All of these truths point us to God, restore our hope and allow us to choose contentment.
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. Philippians 4:11
Contentment is a choice to be satisfied and grateful for what we have and not obsess about what we do not have. It is focusing on what we have been given rather than what we want or think we are due. However, contentment is counter to our human nature. Consequently, the apostle Paul affirms that it is a choice and a learned behavior. It takes effort and determination but it rewards us by freeing us from entitlement, anger, bitterness, frustration, worry, jealousy, envy and strife. It produces peace and tranquility which in turns allows us to draw near to God, to labor effectively for Him and to look to eternity with peace. Further it allows us to be grateful for what God does provide and for His sustaining grace. Contentment opens the door to true and lasting joy.