Thrive Thought: Godliness and Contentment

THRIVE THOUGHT
Godliness and Contentment

I was challenged during my recent reading to think more deeply about what it means to be content, particularly when my situation—financial or not—may not be ideal in this fallen world. I pray that you might ponder these questions alongside me this week: Do I know God is good? That he is bigger than my problems? Do I trust and cling to Him? Am I seeking freedom in godly contentment?

“Godliness is an attitude whereby what we want is to please God. Contentment, explains J. I. Packer, ‘is essentially a matter of accepting from God’s hand what He sends because we know that He is good and therefore it is good.’ Contentment is the freedom that comes when prosperity or poverty do not matter; to accept what we have and ‘to want but little,’ as Thoreau advised. The more we choose contentment, the more God sets us free. The more He sets us free, the more we choose contentment.”

“In our propensity to get things wrong, we have attributed to contentment attitudes and feelings that have nothing to do with it. Contentment isn’t denying one’s feelings about unhappiness, but instead a freedom from being controlled by those feelings. It isn’t pretending things are right when they are not, but instead the peace that comes from knowing that God is bigger than any problem and that He works them all out for our good. Contentment isn’t the complacency that defeats any attempt to make things better, but instead the willingness to work tirelessly for improvement, clinging to God rather than results.”

Swenson, R. A. (1992). Margin: Restoring emotional, physical, financial, and time reserves to overloaded lives. NavPress.

Erica Smith lives with her husband, J.R., and children Jeremiah and Eva in Fort Wayne, IN. She has spent her career in the financial services industry and is actively involved with Pathway Community Church’s Thrive Ministry.