I was going to pick Anthony up from work yesterday when I heard and interesting report on the radio. It was an entire hour discussing the topic of satisfaction on the NPR show, Infinite Mind. Now, normally I don't listen to this particular show, but on that day it caught my attention. The show began with the host, Dr. Fred Goodwin, reading "...an essay in which he points out that Americans are over-investing time and effort in activities that fail to bring them commensurate satisfaction. Research suggests that high life satisfaction is associated with what Dr. Goodwin calls "the old fashioned stuff: stable marriages, close family ties, good friendships, and involvement in religion." He went on to discuss how we have more than previous generations did in terms of material possessions, but less when it came to true life satisfaction.
With my last blog about aspirations still fresh in my mind, I couldn't help but think that maybe what we should strive to be content with what we have, rather than the next "if only I. . . then I would be happy ". I also couldn't help thinking that science was just catching up with what Jesus and his disciples have been teaching for over 2000 years, if we would only pay attention. Inspired, I decided to look up verses that talk about being content or contentment in the New Testament. The first two I found are short and to the point:
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you' (Heb 13:5)"
And if we could only say along with the Apostle Paul, "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. . .(Phil 4:12)"
These verses left me thinking about how our contentment is linked to trusting God, despite our circumstances. The third verse I looked up turned out to be part of a much larger teaching on the relationship between wealth and contentment and I found it fascinating because it seemed so appropriate for the struggles that I feel as a (compared to much of the world) 'rich Christian'. The passage got right to the heart of the matter:
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. . .But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. . .Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:6-9, 11, 17-19).
What really inspired me about the above passage was its practical instructions for those who did not want to get trapped in the temptation of wealth and the command that we should, ". . .put [our] hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for out enjoyment"! I mean it doesn't say put your hope in God and you will just get barely have enough to survive and be more holy. It says that God RICHLY provides us with everything for our ENJOYMENT! With that kind of hope and provision, who wouldn't be satisfied?!?
Next time I'm tempted to think, "If I could just give my kids music lessons, then I would be satisfied" or "If I could just have this new thing or that vacation", I hope that I remember to put my hope in God and trust him for my satisfaction and enjoyment.
By the way if you are interested in hearing the entire report that inspired me, I have included the link below. There is a very interesting interview as well as some more artistic interpretations of what it means to be satisfied including a great Jewish fable about a man and a goat. Go to: http://www.lcmedia.com/mind466.htm
3 comments:
Very interesting Paula. Could the satisfaction you get from God not be attributed to the sense of purpose and belonging that a faith, pretty much any faith, could bring? On that page you liked to there is also a show about humanities search for God and the "need" for God. Such thing interest me. You say that God is meeting your needs in that department, but I know that some might say the fact that you are believing in a higher power is enough. Interesting stuff indeed.
I downloaded the show and will listen to it at the weekend.
Its true that some people would say having any faith would do the trick, but I wouldn't be a Christian if that is what I thought. I do think that there is always benefit to following the principles of a moral and simple life, no matter what faith a person is involved in. However, not every faith has the idea that God provides for our needs. Some say we need to work hard and others that we need to accept our lot in life now, do good and hope for better luck next time. I believe that as Christians our hope is not only for life on earth now, but also what we have to look forward to later. Without forgiveness now and the hope of the resurrection, what's the point?
As the program stated, people who have religion tend to be happier. The program didn't specify a particular religion and so it seems that any framework that provides transcendent meaning and a sense of purpose contributes to overall satisfaction. I am sure in some measure that this is true, but I fear that there will be pastors who pick up this information and use it to illustrate in someway the veracity of Christianity. I, however, have had a more complicated relationship to my faith.
It is because of the influence of Christianity in my life that I have hit the lowest lows and the highest highs. Very simply, I think that Jesus and the work of his Spirit on my life has opened me up intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually to the full sweep of the human condition. Consequently, satisfaction is not my experience. Rather I often feel intense dissatisfaction with how things are in the world (injustice, poverty, oppression) and with my own self-centered, often mundane existence. My faith creates in me an awareness that I will not find complete satisfaction in the things of this world, and at the same time it frees me from pursuing satisfaction in material things or social status. Of course I am not perfect, and so I still struggle, but I know in my heart that joy or contentment cannot be found in these things. Do all religions provide this kind of dynamic? I don’t think all do, and I am sure that some do better than others. In the end, however, I think that what matters is who God is and who we are. If a particular God created particular kinds of creatures for communion with him, then those creatures were designed to find true satisfaction in him. Ironically, it seems that my faith has created in me longings that I would not have had otherwise, it has opened me up to aspects of my soul that I would not have otherwise known, and all of this directs me to Jesus who comes anywhere near to embracing all that I am and long for.
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