The Road to Godliness with Contentment

At the risk of jinxing myself, I have taken great care not to get a speeding ticket since 1987. It’s not that I’m the safest driver on the road or that I am excessively careful about speed limits. I just learned my lesson in ’87 (like the rhyme?), and I don’t wish to pay for new roads via petty traffic citations.

I attribute any progress in this area of my life from God driving me towards a sense of contentment. This is harder in real life than it is to type it out. Like many people, I am not content by nature. In fact, as previously I confessed my sin of perfectionism, perfectionists are by definition discontented with virtually everything. This is not limited to inanimate objects—things that I own or desire to own—it’s sadly a discontentment (disappointment) with people.

When I drive around town (trying to drive close to the limit), I notice how often people desire that I speed up. Now I confess that I’m the sort that will gently tap the breaks to signal I am not in a hurry. Naturally, this does little to improve my relationship with the driver in my rear view mirror! Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear, both in physical proximity to my rear bumper and also in a shared impatience and discontentment. I am impatient at their impatience, so I traded in my self-deluded notions of contentment for a disguised version of discontent—the variation of perfectionism I had hoped to jettison from my wretched life. The truth as I stand at the mirror of self-examination by means of biblical prodding (see James 1:22-25) is that the Spirit of God has far more work to do in me if I have the courage to act upon it.

If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not devote himself to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, he is conceited, understanding nothing, but having a morbid interest concerning controversies and disputes about words, from which come envy, strife, slanders, evil suspicions, constant wrangling by people of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who consider godliness to be a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is a great means of gain. For we have brought nothing into the world, so that neither can we bring anything out. But if we have food and clothing, with these things we will be content. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge those people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all evil, by which some, because they desire it, have gone astray from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. 1 Timothy 6:3-6 (Lexham English Bible).

Noticing in particular verses 5-6, “…godliness to be a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is a great means of gain…” I see the danger I face whenever I contemplate church ministry as a vocation (i.e. career). Paul is telling Timothy (from the context even back to chapter 3) that Christian character is exceptionally important. Disciples of Jesus face a constant temptation to be discontented with their lot. I reflect on over five years invested in training for church ministry, both in academic training and real-life church experience as an associate pastor. I wish to be quite transparent when I say: I seldom knew contentment and godliness as a cooperative trait in my life. I was mostly discontented with things around me in the church that I felt should change. I arrogantly thought (perhaps not intentionally) that I was the one to inaugurate that change. The ugly truth is that many a minister have manipulated people (once again, the pastor himself may be blind to this ambition), and perfectionism and a lack of true contentment may be a key reason.

I believe that if any ministry awaits me (whether it be a career path or volunteer), Christ must help me put to death the sin of perfectionism. A few steps I believe to be important to this outcome:

1. Confess this regularly to Christ and others. I rest on the assurance that Christ has already paid for this sin (like all other sin) on the cross. Yet the power of confessing this is a reminder of the gospel’s power in my life (cf. Romans 1:16-17, James 5:16).
2. Learn to recognize my emotional state that might point to discontentment, despair, and disillusionment. There are triggers that I need to detect ahead of time - a type spiritual "accident avoidance" (e.g. don’t let the world of consumption and advertising frame my mindset).
3. Find contentment in the simplicity of abundant life granted in Jesus Christ. John 10:10 aptly states: “The thief comes only so that he can steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” If I am discontented, rest assured the thief is at work undermining the truth of the gospel in my life.

So when on the road we should look out for one another, find contentment even when traffic slows (or pushes us), and let perfectionism get off at the nearest exit.