At the beginning of a new year, many of us have taken the time to look ahead and think about what we want to accomplish in the upcoming year.
In the past, I tried making resolutions, but recently I have decided to write goals instead of resolutions. This is my second year writing a set of S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timed) goals. Writing personal goals has always been a challenging task for me and requires a lot of contemplation and reflection.
As I was thinking through the larger concept behind goals and resolutions, I was struck with a challenging thought.
What about contentment? Aren’t we called to be content? Paul talks in Philippians 4:12-13 about how he has learned to be content in all circumstances. So how does contentment fit in with wanting to make changes in my life over the coming year?
Contentment is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as, “feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.” Easton’s Bible Dictionary adds that contentment lacks envy, ambition, avarice, anxiety, and a longing for something we do not have. It is easy to understand the need for contentment in the context of possessions. There are many verses in Scripture that tell us to avoid the pitfall of pursuing wealth directly. This included pursuing righteousness in hopes of being rewarded with riches. But what about contentment in my situation outside of money? Is it wrong to set a goal of being promoted at work? Can I resolve to grow my blog and social media reach while still being obedient to the call of contentment?
After wrestling with and researching this for a while, I have come to discover contentment is a condition of the heart.
1 Timothy 6:6 says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Later in the same chapter (vs 11) Paul tells Timothy to, “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.” This means it is ok to want more of some things, but they need to be the right things.
God is in control of our circumstances — what job we have, where we live, who is in governmental office, and so much more.
Having a heart that is content is choosing to trust God and believe He is working for our good. This is true even when I don’t like the work I am doing or when our money never seems to cover all of the costs of life, or my health isn’t what I want it to be. What I can work on is becoming more like Him.
After discovering this, I needed to go back, look at my goals for the year, and ask myself, “why?”
What is at the heart of this goal? Is it coming from a place of dissatisfaction with my circumstances, or is it rooted in the pursuit of righteousness, faith, and godliness? After a careful review, I discovered I needed to change some of my goals.
For example, I set a goal to make a certain amount of money for the year. Earning a specified income is a good goal in that it is specific and measurable, but at the heart of it, it is about me: my effort, my work, my reward. Changing the goal of contributing to the family income for the purpose of meeting our physical and material needs allows me to work on the parts I can do and leave the results up to God. This challenges my faith and helps me practice trusting in Him to meet our family’s needs.
Have you written goals or resolutions for the year? How do they fit with having a heart of contentment and pursuing godliness? If you don’t have year-long objectives, what about the more short-term steps you are working on in your life? Do they come from a heart of dissatisfaction, anxiety, or personal ambition? Or are they rooted in a desire to grow in righteousness and faith? How can you help yourself this year to remember to be content in the circumstances God has placed you in while still pursuing godliness?
