By Toni Crawford

I was scrolling through YouTube when I came across a pastor ministering. He touched on several topics, but one thing he said that really stood out to me was contentment.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, contentment is a deep, quiet sense of being enough, allowing us to appreciate our current circumstances without the restless urge to constantly acquire more.

Going back to the pastor’s message, I don’t remember his exact words, but he was essentially talking about how some people can have two cars and still not be content. They can have a mansion and still not be content. They can have a family, make good money, and still not be content. The list goes on.

I was tuned in like a kid watching their favorite cartoon. And if I’m honest, I still watch cartoons from time to time! But back to the message.

This message ministered to me so deeply that after listening, I began asking myself a few questions:

1. If I’m not content with what I already have, could it be because God has more for me?
2. Or am I dealing with greed?

Hear me out. Sometimes we keep asking for more, but how much more does the Lord have to give us before we finally reach contentment?

Help me, Lord.

Serving the Lord isn’t about how much we can get from Him materially. Nor is it about becoming popular or well-known. It is about living a life that reflects Him and pleases Him.

Furthermore, I would love to say that I’m content in every area of my life, but that would be a lie. Listening to that pastor caused me to take an honest look at myself and evaluate the areas where I am and am not content.

Some of the things I’m not content with seem so silly to me that I don’t even want to share them. But moving right along, I don’t want to be greedy. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. And I certainly don’t want to treat my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as if He were a genie who is supposed to grant my every wish. That’s not how serving the Lord works.

Instead, I pray to be content in every area of my life.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

*“I am not saying this because I am in need, for 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.” -Philippians 4:11-12

In closing, I believe the best thing we can do as believers and followers of Jesus Christ is examine our hearts whenever we find ourselves lacking contentment. There are people who have far less than we do, yet they are content. It’s true.

Did you know a person can be content in Christ and still desire change? Paul was content, yet he still had goals, ministry ambitions, and prayers he wanted answered. Contentment doesn’t mean becoming passive or never wanting anything different. It means your peace is not dependent on getting what you want.
Consider the Apostle Paul’s words:
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances..” (Philippians 4:11)
Notice he said he learned it. Contentment was a process, not something that happened overnight.

Lastly, Apostle Paul secret of contentment, was that his life was anchored in Christ and focused on eternity above all else.

Amen.