The Secret to Joy

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” - Philippians 4:11

What does it mean for us to be content? Can we ever truly be content? When we look around, it can be hard to imagine having total contentment. Sometimes it feels like the human heart is always looking for something more - more of this or that, the latest upgrade, or something that needs improvement. And how can we be content with so many things happening around us in the world? Wars. Economic threats. Racism. Oppression. Broken governments. All these things sow discontent everywhere.

Yet when Paul talks about what it means to be content, he’s not talking about finding it in the tangible things of this world. He knows he can’t find fulfillment in whether he’s well-fed or has plenty. For him, the secret of his contentment is to have his life defined by Jesus, not by his circumstances. His sense of peace focuses on the fact that Jesus promises to make all things right.

True contentment rests in the promise that God does not abandon the children he loves. It rests in the strength of Jesus Christ. And it also rejoices in the concern that believers show as they help one another, how they reach out to others in all kinds of different circumstances, and how it looks ahead in hope to the day when Jesus will return and remove all discontent.

Nothing in life lasts. Food spoils. Friendships shift and break. Hurricanes, drought, and wildfires consume livelihood. So why not look to a better way forward by finding contentment in the One who has already given you the eternal life “that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4)?