The secret of contentment in life is trusting that Christ will carry me through every season, whether in plenty or in want.
In Philippians 4, the apostle Paul draws what is probably my favorite letter of his to a close. With this, amidst final greetings and encouragements, the apostle in a roundabout way thanks them for their generosity.
The Philippian church, above every other church that Paul started, distinguished themselves in their financial support for him. Now, in the sending of this letter, the apostle rejoiced that they once again showcased their concern for him by providing for some of his material needs (Phil. 4:10).
Yet, he does not want to be unclear: he was not truly in need (Phil. 4:11).
Now, why would he say this? Truly, the apostle had needs. I would venture to say that his needs were greater and far more reasonable than any of our “needs” today. Probably the vast majority of our needs are really rationalized wants, for if we were to look back at Paul’s humble example we would quickly realize how much we have.
Paul’s reasoning for his lack of need was that he had learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself in (Phil. 4:11).
That is pretty incredible. For while the apostle did enjoy times where he abounded and faced plenty, he also had times where he was brought low and faced hunger and want (Phil. 4:12).
The apostle learned contentment during his times of need. He learned to recognize that even though he was hungry God still took care of him. God would not let him starve. Even if he went to bed hungry a few times, he was still okay.
The secret to this contentment was Jesus Christ.
The power of Christ within taught Paul to endure. He concluded so powerfully, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).
Now, in context, Paul is speaking more specifically of enduring all things through Christ.
This Scripture is probably one of the most famous verses in the Bible. It is probably the most quoted, most posted, and even most tattooed. However, it is also one of the most misunderstood verses.
Doing all things through Christ does not mean that suddenly I am able to play the cello (although that would be super cool) or that I can run a five-minute mile. Doing all things through Christ does not mean that I can build a house or ride a unicycle.
Doing all things through Christ means that no matter what life throws at me—whether plenty or want—I can persevere, because Christ has placed His Spirit within me to strengthen me and He is with me.
As the apostle testified in another place when the Lord refused to remove his thorn, the Lord Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9a)
However, you can only learn of the sufficiency of God’s grace to carry you through difficulties during those difficulties. You can only learn to be content with what you have by learning to be content with what you have. Truly, we will always desire more. Human beings are wanting machines!
There will always be things we wish were different, things we wish we had, or problems we wish would go away.
Yet, Christ’s power and grace are sufficient to carry us through—no matter what comes our way. His strength enables us to endure all things, and His grace is sufficient for us.
Will we learn the secret of contentment during our own times of struggle by turning to Him for the empowerment we need, or will we respond with complaint and self-pity?
There are lessons that can only be learned during difficulty and oftentimes we can miss the opportunity to grow, at least I know that I can.