By David Webb
Have you ever seen a horse poking its head through a narrow opening in a fence and stretching its neck just to eat from a patch of grass growing on the other side? I find it rather comical when that same horse is already standing in a field of lush green grass yet seems to think the grass beyond the fence is some kind of rare delicacy. That horse is going through an awful lot of effort to obtain its prize when a perfectly wonderful meal is right under its feet the whole time!You and I are a lot more like that horse than we care to admit. There’s an old saying that goes “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” What this means is that we tend to look at our neighbors and envy them, thinking they are happier than we are because they don’t experience the same kinds of problems we’re dealing with. Of course, this perception is almost always false because every family has its own set of problems. But when we let ourselves get caught up in thinking about our own difficult circumstances—our struggles, our shortcomings, our failures—it’s easy to look at other people and think, If only I had their money (or his looks or her patience), I wouldn’t be in this mess.
If anyone ever had reason to complain to God about his circumstances, it was the apostle Paul. He was a second-generation Pharisee and a respected and highly educated man, yet he found himself languishing in a dungeon in Rome because of his faith in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, he was perfectly at peace. He wrote to his friends:
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. (Philippians 4:11–13)
Contentment is a deep, abiding peace and satisfaction that comes from knowing and loving God more every day. Are you content in your life? If not, what do you think will make you happy? A bigger family car? A nicer wardrobe? The latest iPhone? A Hawaiian vacation?
Now, most homeschooling families subsist on a single income. And we all know that having money cannot guarantee happiness. Yet for some reason many of us seem to think that our lives would be better if only we had more money, as if we are the exceptions to the rule. And so we muddle along, saying the right things but secretly believing as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. When told that money is the world’s curse, he replies, “May the Lord smite me with it—and may I never recover!”
The apostle Paul had once owned many nice things when his name was still Saul. He had been raised the son of a Pharisee and well-to-do tentmaker. Educated in Jerusalem by the finest teachers, Saul also enjoyed the privileges of Roman citizenship. Yet for his all riches and education and status, he could not find peace. And so, against the advice and urging of his mentor (Acts 5:34–39), Saul zealously hunted down and persecuted the followers of Christ (Acts 8:1–3). But then Jesus Christ met Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19), changed his name, and set him on a new path.
Once he had lost everything, Paul no longer looked for things to make him happy:
I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)
Paul had learned that the constant pursuit of possessions and accomplishments could lead only to disillusionment and despair. Joyously, he had instead discovered the threefold secret to lasting contentment.
Trust in Jesus Christ
Paul found contentment in the same place we find salvation: in Christ. Jesus is the only answer to sin, and He is the only answer to our need for peace (John 14:27). Paul’s relationship with God did not depend on what he did or did not have. His peace was based not on his circumstances but on knowing and trusting Jesus:
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, NLT)
[The Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)
Keep in mind that contentment doesn’t happen overnight. As you build your relationship with God through prayer, Bible study, and worship, you will learn to trust God more and rely on yourself less. When you trust in Christ, He will give you the strength to be content in any situation you encounter. Remember and pray the words of the psalmist: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25–26).
Be Thankful in All Circumstances
The book of Philippians is a letter from Paul thanking the church at Philippi for a “care package” they sent him in prison. In it, Paul instructs us:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)
When you think of what God the Son has done for us—stepping down from His throne to live among us and teach us, then allowing Himself to be killed in the most humiliating way possible to pay the penalty for our sins—how can our heartfelt response be anything but gratitude? We must be thankful to God each day for who He is, for everything He created, and for His infinite goodness toward us (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Love and Comfort to Others
When we go through life discontented—grumbling, whining, doubting God, and thinking only about ourselves—we tend to hold tightly to the very things God wants us to give to others, including our time, our talents, and our treasure. But in the economy of God’s kingdom, we must give away that which we hope to gain:
Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:24–25, NLT)
For example, God gives us comfort so that we can pass it on to others who need it:
[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Indeed, giving defined the ultimate expression of love: “For God so loved the world that he gave . . .” (John 3:16). When you look beyond your own problems to focus on meeting the needs of those around you, you will go a long way toward taming the sin of envy, the beast “crouching at your door” (Genesis 4:7). A true servant is just happy to serve, and envy has no place in his or her life.
... bless yourself and your family with this thought: The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence; grass is greenest where it is watered. When you cross over fences to serve your neighbors with love and humility and share with them living water (John 7:38), you make the grass greener wherever you go.
David Webb is the coauthor of the What We Believe series, the award-winning biblical worldview curriculum published by Apologia in partnership with Summit Ministries. The third and newest volume in this series is Who Is My Neighbor? (And Why Does He Need Me?): A Biblical Worldview of Servanthood. David and his wife, Peggy, have homeschooled their six children since 1990.
Extracted from http://blog.apologia.com/blog/2012/08/13/the-threefold-secret-to-contentment/
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