Content with being discontent

Contentment is a word and concept that is virtually non-existent in our culture. When's the last time that you heard a professional sports figure say, "I'm getting paid what I'm worth. I don't need more money"? Have you heard of any Fortune 100 CEOs turning down their performance bonus because they're content with what they have? What about the regular guy like you and me? We all want more money, a better car, a faster boat, the latest cell phone, the newest power tool, and the list goes on. We really don't know how to be content.

If I listed in this devotion the things that I want to replace the things I already have it might make you nauseous. You and I are a product of the American capitalist and consumer culture. It's difficult for us to be content. I'm personally due to another trip to North Africa. Why? It will knock you down a notch and make you content with what you have for a good long while. Need a toothbrush? Cut a 1/4 inch diameter stick in six inch sections and use it for a toothbrush. Need a snack before bedtime. Roast your own coffee, peanuts, and popcorn and enjoy the good company of other human beings. Need something to wear? Go to the suuq (market) and by clothing that, frankly, looks like everybody else's clothes. Can't find a McDonald's within walking distance? How about going to the local restaurant and getting some meat cooked over hot rocks? It's amazing how good coffee tastes, how well dressed you feel, and satisfied with your meal you are when you only need your basic needs met.

Americans are spoiled. American Christians are spoiled. We go to churches with gorgeous chandeliers and gilded choir lofts. Or we listen to a professional band and watch the speaker on high definition screens that most minor league baseball teams would kill for. We walk away wondering what they'll do to entice us back next week, or we may just leave in awe of the incredible display. We're content with our wealth and our accomplishments. We're content with our spirituality. We do our duty, go to church, and tack on religion like any other hobby in our life. All the while, we may have been busy with a lot of religious activity but there's nothing tangible or intangible to show for it. We're content to be spectators rather than players, content with our spirituality.

Here's a radical thought...What if you and I were to only to find contentment in being discontented with how well we know God? Not information...relationship. And born out of that discontentment that drives us to know God on a deeper level there is a discontentment with what we have done to serve Him. I'm talking going beyond the necessary things like helping out at church. This is a discontentment born out of knowing God that insists that everything we do or think or feel has to do with God. Every person you meet has to do with God and there's no rest until you've at least introduced them to Him (The Message//remix, pg.1716). The name for this state of being is holy discontent.

Holy discontent is where standard issue Christianity won't do. It's when spending 75 minutes a week at church is just part of a life lived for others. It's when we view every encounter with people as an opportunity for something beyond us. It's investing in other people's lives while others are content to play church. It's making known, in one way or another, "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthains 15:3-4, NIV).

Invite someone to church. Host a movie night. Have a small group in your home. Feed a homeless person. Set a lunch appointment to share the Good News with a co-worker. It's doing things like this you'll find contentment.

But godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6, NIV).

Have a great day.