The Secret of Contentment

           I was in the supermarket yesterday and I couldn't help see this man.  He was using one of those brand new light, sporty zippity doo dah titanium wheel- chairs. We both smiled as he zoomed past me.  His low-cut shiny, clean wheelchair it looked like a Lexus, it really did.  Like a Cadillac of wheelchairs.  I watched him when he zipped down the aisle, his chair didn't even make a squeak.  He got to the end of the aisle, and with a slight shift of his weight, he made a s-m-o-o-t-h, sleek turn toward the meat counter then he disappeared.  I sat there and glanced down at my big, clunky, bulky decades-old model with dirt on the frame and threadbare padding.  I have to tell you I envied his high-tech wheels.

            I would love a trade-in on my wheelchair.  Perhaps you would like a trade-in on something - maybe your old car.  Maybe the grass seems greener down the street where they are building brand new homes.  Yes, an automatic garage door opener and a trash compactor would be great to have.  But sometimes when we compile our desires up against God's desires for us, I wonder how many of them match.  Well, if you find your desires and God's do not match, then that, my friend, is a good measure of how content you really are. 

            The apostle Paul described contentment as a secret.  Something hidden from view, something concealed.  Well, what secret was he talking about?  That's one of those questions people like to throw out at small groups or Bible studies to kind of get a little discussion going.  But it's no little topic... it's no small item for discussion if you happen to find yourself in a maximum security prison facing a third of your life behind bars... if you discover that your long-awaited, much-prayed-for baby has Down Syndrome... if that stable company cuts you loose in your mid-fifties from your once-secure position, leaving you with few prospects and your 401K won't roll over... if any of those things are true, or any of ten thousand other heartaches... then "what's the secret" is more than something to just throw out in a little Bible study to stimulate discussion.  No, it's a big question because when your world is spinning out of control, you can't settle for living a life of quiet desperation-I think it was Thoreau who once said that. 

            No, you can't live in quiet desperation, so what is the apostle Paul's secret, come on?  Well, here it is... You have to subtract your desires and add God's desires for your life - and what is God's basic desire for you?  It is taking hold of Christ and believing that the strength he gives really is enough.  There you have it.  That's the secret.  Diminish that long list of things you want out of life, and in turn, add to your life what God wants:  and He wants you to see His Son, Jesus Christ, as your sufficiency, your all-in-all, that He's enough.  It's hard to explain it... it's hard to even understand, but contentment is not in a set of circumstances which satisfy what you want out of life... contentment is a person, it's your wonderful Savior.  He'll give you what you need in life - true and lasting satisfaction in Him.  Believe me, once you find Him sufficient, you just won't be able to keep the secret to yourself.

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