I love Thanksgiving. Well, I love the Thanksgiving meal. Growing up we usually ate sometime between lunch and dinner…and then grazed the rest of the day. I never wanted to eat lunch because I would spoil dinner but waiting was painful. I would count down the minutes until I loaded my plate with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. I’d throw some green bean casserole on the plate just to appease my parents. It was always hard for me to stop after one helping. I mean, it’s Thanksgiving! If there’s ever a time for seconds, it’s on Thanksgiving. 

I’ve heard there are people who actually don’t take second helpings at Thanksgiving. These odd individuals eat until they’ve had just enough. They don’t go away hungry but putting on sweatpants isn’t necessary for them. They eat just enough to be content. Maybe they read Proverbs 30:7-9 before sitting down for the Thanksgiving meal: 

 Two things I ask of you;
    deny them not to me before I die:
 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
    give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that is needful for me,
 lest I be full and deny you
    and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
    and profane the name of my God.

Obviously, the writer is not addressing a full stomach but a contented heart. Wouldn’t you love a contented heart? The warning here is that too many riches can lead to a false sense of self-sufficiency while poverty can lead to doubting God’s goodness. What we need is a heart posture that says, “I’m good” regardless of circumstances. 

Contentment. The dictionary defines it as “feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.” It’s ironic that this worldly definition of contentment sits in direct opposition to a world in which people are not content in any of those things. Instead, it’s the elusive “next, best thing”—the next new possession, the next higher status, or the next pleasurable situation—that promises contentment yet never delivers!  We are told to be discontent with the present and chase after something better when the truth is we will never be satisfied with what the world offers. We need a solution that comes from out of this world. And God provides it. 

Just to clarify, contentment is not the same thing as apathy. Apathy is not caring. That’s sin.  We shouldn’t look around at the brokenness of the world and think, “It’s all good, I’ve got Jesus.” We certainly can’t be apathetic to our own sin, and we must care about the things that grieve God. Biblical contentment is not apathy. 

Biblical contentment is also not connected to our circumstances. 

 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. (Philippians 4:11-12) 

If I’m being honest (a noble goal since this is in print), my contentment is often connected to my circumstances. That inner sense of peace, a heart posture that believes God has got me and that is enough, feels more real when I have money in my savings account, my relationships are rock solid, I’m healthy, my children make the honor roll, and Melissa enjoys being around me. But that kind of circumstantial contentment is not what Paul is talking about. 

Paul experienced plenty and want and learned contentment. He was content despite some seriously bad situations: beatings, chains, imprisonment, cold, exposure, highway robbers, hunger, danger, shipwrecks, snake bites, death threats and stonings. Life was not comfortable for Paul! But godly contentment doesn’t spring up when all is well and then dissipate when life is hard, resources are sparse, health is failing, relationships are hard, and successes is elusive. Contentment doesn’t come from our circumstances. Then how do we get it? 

Contentment is learned. 

 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Paul says twice in as many verses that contentment is learned. This is good news. If you don’t have it, you can learn the secret. How does this happen? It happens when God instructs us in godliness. The crazy thing is you don’t even need to sign up for the class. If you are alive in Christ, you’re already enrolled, and God wants to teach you the truth of 1 Timothy 6:6: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”  At times this means you will experience success in life. During these times your temptation will be to find satisfaction in your success. Other times, you will experience hardship and even failure. The temptation will be to lose your footing because things aren’t going your way. 

But contentment comes from having Christ—during seasons of success or during times of crisis. It comes from your relationship with Jesus. Hebrews admonishes believers to “be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.’” (13:5b-6). There is a direct correlation here between Jesus and contentment. You have him; you have contentment. 

Even as I write these words, I admit there’s some mystery here. We don’t wiggle our toes or twitch our nose and contentment drops in our lap. There are aspects of the Christian life that are mysterious and I think experiencing a deep sense of contentment is one of them. But don’t let your experience dictate your belief. With Jesus, contentment is possible.