The Secret to Being Content

What’s your secret?

When people are thriving in our world or experiencing great financial success in their self-started business or side hustle selling handmade keychains on Etsy, others tend to want to know how they did it—most often because they want to replicate such financial feats or influence.

When people aren’t thriving or experiencing financial success, when they’re failing miserably, others don’t ask them what their secret is—but they might ask where it all went wrong so they can avoid making those same mistakes and avoid potential pitfalls in their own race to succeed.

Our world is so focused on defining success as having more and working hard until you get more. In doing so, we breed an attitude of discontent. We want more. We need to have more. Having more sales at work. Having more social media followers. Having more income. Having more friends. Having more [fill in the blank] . . . more, more, more.

When asked how much money was enough, it was the world’s first billionaire, J. D. Rockefeller, who responded, “Just a little bit more.”

Whatever that more may be, chasing after it is a deadly trap. That pursuit consumes us. We’ll never have enough. It’ll never be enough to satisfy us. We’ll never be content.

Unless we’re just looking in the wrong place.

So let’s redefine success. Let’s call success in life being content with what we’ve been given—whether that’s a lot or a little. But being content—truly content—can seem to be incredibly difficult. There must be a trick, tip, or secret to being content, right?

Dear Christian, the secret to being content is perhaps the best- and the worst-kept secret. (And it’s really no secret at all.)

It’s the best-kept secret because the answer goes against human nature. When people hear it, they often dismiss it as clickbait or snake oil and don’t put it into practice—much less share that secret with anyone else.

It’s the worst-kept secret because the answer was written down long, long ago, free for all to read and learn. You don’t have to analyze the work ethics of successful entrepreneurs or attend financial seminars or webinars to learn it . . . you just have to open your Bible and read.

The apostle Paul wrote, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. 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).

The secret to true contentment comes from knowing who our God is and what he has done for us through our Savior Jesus. Our sins are forgiven. Heaven is ours. Even if we have nothing else, we still have everything we need in Jesus.

Yes, it’s easy to say that. It’s hard to live it, though—to say it and actually mean it when our sinful nature and the world around us are telling us that we don’t have enough materialistically or that we aren’t successful enough. To be sure, we can’t be content in all things on our own. But we can be content in all things through God, who gives us strength.

Where do we find that strength?

God strengthens us in his Word and sacraments so that we can live for him and be content. Through the means of grace, God directs our eyes to look at him. Whether we have plenty or live in want, no matter what our lives look like from a worldly perspective, we have everything we need in him.

As Psalm 23:1 reminds us, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” That’s it! Jesus is our secret to being content.

The neat thing is, other people will notice your contentment in Christ as you live for him. They might even ask, “What’s your secret?” What a joy that you can share the amazing secret with them so that they can be content as well.

For an impactful conversation on thankfulness, gratitude, and contentment in your life as a Christian, check out this month’s Faith Footnotes episode with guest Pastor Andrew Schroer: Being Thankful Every Day.

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