To pursue contentment, don’t believe the lies of our culture

Christians are called to be content, to be satisfied with what we have at the moment (in places like Phil 4:10-13). That’s an easy thing to say but a difficult thing to do. One of the reasons it is so difficult is that so much in our culture is pushing us to be discontent.

Here are four lies that our culture teaches us about contentment:

• Lie #1    Things will make you content

This is inherent in every advertising campaign for a new product. If you only purchase this, you will be happy. This is the one thing that is stopping you! Yet we know from experience that this doesn’t work. That new car is exciting for a while, and then it is just a car. That new phone does have good features, but there will soon be a better one. Chasing things to make you happy is like chasing the wind.

• Lie #2 You have a right to comfort and a high standard of living

Actually, you don’t. Life is a gift from God, and everything we have is a bonus. Arguing for our rights is a way to be angry all the time rather than satisfied.

• Lie #3 The worst thing that can happen is poverty or suffering

If this life is all you have, and the pursuit of comfort and happiness is your ultimate goal, well then, suffering and poverty are the worst things that can happen. But that’s not the case for Christians. We live for God’s glory and know we have eternal life; God might well be teaching us a lot in times of struggle. The tough times might be better for our faith than the good times and are therefore important for us to experience.

• Lie #4 You will be content if you compare well against other people

We have a tendency to get upset if our lifestyle doesn’t match the lifestyle of other people, but God has never promised to bless people equally with wealth and health. The beautiful people with beautiful lives on Instagram are likely not as happy as they make out (or even look the same as you think they do after filters have been used!).

 

If we stop and think about it, we will realise that all of these things are untrue. There are so very many people around us who are not satisfied and never will be without Jesus. Why would we want to strive to be like that?

Christians, on the other hand, have every reason to be content. We have been given so much through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We have a hope that can never be taken away, a hope that doesn’t depend on our possessions or how we compare to others. That really is good news to a culture that is always dissatisfied!