The Tension of Contentment (Philippians 4:12-13)

Written by: Naomi Middleton

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13).

If we are honest, we all struggle with contentment to some degree. We want things we don’t have. We are frustrated with what we have been given. We are always looking to what is next. Most of us probably struggle with understanding what contentment really looks like in our lives. We think, “if I was a better Christian I would never want something that I don’t have.” Or we think “I should just be completely content with the way my life is now.” However, contentment is not just being happy with what you have. Biblical contentment is more of a tension. It is the tension between abiding in what God has done for you and anticipating what he has for you.

Abiding In What God has Done for you

We can be so focused on what we don’t have that we don’t rest in what God has already given us. Paul writes, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13). Discontentment is often the result of us feeling like we are lacking in some area. In the Christian life, we can be content because God has provided for our greatest needs in Christ. It is abiding in what God has done for us.

Anticipating What God has For You

However, there is another side to contentment. As Christians, we should never be completely happy with the way things are. Paul also writes in Philippians, “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Even though we can rest in what Christ has done for us, we are also called to look forward to what he has in store for us. We were never created to be completely content in this world.