October 20, 2021
LEARNING CONTENTMENT
Reverend Suzanne Gorhau
Volunteer & MMM Board Member, Nebraska/Iowa
"I have learned to be content with whatever I have.” Philippians 4:11
The apostle Paul says he has learned how to be content with whatever he has. It’s something I need to learn, over and over. On my first trip to Malawi in 2001, what I missed most was cold drinks. One day, our truck got a flat tire. The villagers helped put on the spare, but we had to drive to a gas station in Mzimba to get the flat tire fixed. When we pulled into the gas station, I saw a refrigerator case with cold Cokes. I had two ice cold Cokes that day. I’ve never been so glad for a flat tire in my life.
When I got back home, I went on a retreat with my church. We had a cooler filled with ice and cold drinks, and I was disappointed because there weren’t any Diet Dr. Peppers, my drink of choice at the time. It had only been a couple of months since that two-coldCoke day, but I had already started to take things for granted.
Going to another country is great practice in learning to be content because often things aren’t like they are at home: different food, different accommodations, sometimes no electricity or running water, no internet connection or phone calls home to loved ones. If we can learn Paul’s secret of being content no matter the circumstances, our lives (and our trips to other countries) could be much more peaceful and joyful. I don’t have to have a cold Diet Dr. Pepper to be happy.
But I’m sure there were things Paul wasn’t content to do without. His calling and passion was to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, and he wasn’t content until he did all he could to make that happen. We, too, have a calling to make sure our brothers and sisters have clean water and enough food to eat, and we won’t be content until we do all we can to make that happen. That’s what I call “holy discontent.”
Paul’s contentment went much deeper than just being satisfied with what he had or didn’t have. His contentment came from God. The reason he was able to be in want at times was because he knew he had the most important thing: God. With God, he could face any situation.
Application Question: What is one thing I can learn to be content without?
Prayer: Dear God, help me focus less on what I don’t have and more on what I do have. Remind me that all I really need is you. Amen.
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