The Secret of Being Content

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." - Written by Paul in Philippians 4:12

I've read these words many times but one day one word in particular caught my attention. It was the word "secret". My thought was this: 'if there is a secret to being content, why didn't Paul share it with us?' Did he not think this was something valuable to know? Think of all the discontented people out there that could have taken that secret knowledge and made themselves content. I would venture to guess crime rates, suicide rates, road rage incidents, etc. would go down. I would also guess that people would smile more, yell less, and love better. The 'secret of being content' seems invaluable and yet it's buried deep in Paul's mind. Or is it? Maybe we were meant to search for the secret.

I started looking at Paul's life to see if I could figure out what it was that made him content. He clearly didn't travel the path of least resistance. After his conversion experience on the road to Damascus, he could have simply accepted Christ, retired from persecuting Christians, and lived out the rest of his life as a good person. But that would not do for this man. That would not have satisfied him. He would not have been, shall we say, content. Paul went full steam ahead sharing the message of Christ. He endured many trials and hardships along the way (he was imprisoned, shipwrecked, and snake bitten to name a few). We could try to argue that no one could possibly be content in those situations and yet Paul said those words. And I believe him. What was your secret, Paul?

Did it have to do with the choices he made? Life is full of forks in the road - choices that have to me made. Choice A might be less desirable and a little painful. Choice B sounds better. But in your spirit you know choosing Choice A will please God more. That's the choice Paul would have made (over and over). And the reason why, I believe, is because he recognized that pleasing God would bring him greater satisfaction than pleasing himself. Think about when you were a child and you did something that pleased your mom or dad. Or when as an employee you caught the thankful eye of your boss for something you did which wasn't altogether easy. The reward in your hard work was the feeling of pleasure your received in pleasing those who matter to you. And, frankly, who matters more than God? How much greater is that reward - that feeling of pleasing our heavenly Father - the Creator of life itself? Does that feeling make the difficulties we endure on His behalf worth it?

Two synonyms for content (and I think theses are profound) are fulfilled and gratified. I believe those words say a lot about how Paul lived his life. The conclusion I come to in figuring out Paul's secret is that being content means finding your focus in God. It's living your life with an undeniable focus on pleasing God. When that becomes our life's ultimate goal we may just discover it is, indeed, the secret to being content. Referring back to our choices above: Choice B may not necessarily be a wrong or sinful choice - just a different path to choose. Choosing B could very well be good and safe. The difference, however, between the choices we make could mean the difference between feeling "pleased" and feeling "fulfilled". The benefit of one far outweighs the other.