We are consumers at heart. Many people today believe that life’s goal is to strive for abundance so they can consume abundantly. The underlying assumption is that this is the way to happiness. However, possessing contentment is better than possessing anything you believe will make you happy. It is common to think, “If I only had this one thing, then I would be satisfied,” but if we cannot be satisfied without it, we will likely not be satisfied with it. Jeremiah Burroughs gives us four reasons this is the case.
Before he lays out these reasons, he gives us an example of a King who wanted to go to war against another nation. One of his political advisors was concerned about this decision, so he asked the ruler, “Why is it necessary to go to war against the nation?” The king replied, “Because then we will be able to conquer the neighboring nation easily.” His advisor asked, “And what then?” The king answered, “Then we will have access to three other nations lined up beyond that. The advisor pressed further, “Then what?” The king smiled and said, “That is the glorious part. Then we will be quiet, take our ease, and feast every day. We will be merry with each other continually.” The advisor asks, “We are secure as a nation now, without any threat. Can you not sit down and be merry now?”
This short-sightedness is the condition of many of our hearts. The reason we cannot be merry now is not because we do not possess something we need. We cannot rest because we lack contentment, and whatever we pursue will not provide it. This reality is why it is better to seek contentment than the things of the world. It is in this context that Burroughs lists his four reasons why there is more good in contentment than in the creature comfort you think will cure your discontent.
1. If you attain your creature comfort, that is all you will have possessed—creature comfort. It cannot go beyond that, and it will eventually fail to touch the deepest part of us. It is better to be content with the grace of God in our soul than any outward comfort.
2. If you were to attain your worldly desire, you might find yourself in a better position amongst your peers, but your soul would not have improved. Possessing things does nothing to improve the inner man, but possessing contentment does. Finding contentment in God conforms us closer to the image of Christ—something possessions cannot do.
3. If we find ourselves contented by worldly things, that is only self-love, but if we are content in God, we will desire to serve him instead of ourselves. It is the difference between serving ourselves or serving God—filled with self-love or love to God.
4. The final point Burroughs makes as to why possessing contentment is better than possessing things is that if some worldly thing brings you contentment, you are only contented in that one thing. For example, if you have a beautiful home, that will not make you happy with your station at work. If you land your dream job, that does not mean your health will not fail you. On the other hand, if you are content with God and his grace in your heart, then you will be contented in general. It is a contentment that flows to all other areas of our lives.
If you find yourself discontent with the state of things in your life, it is better to pursue contentment in God first and foremost. This priority of contentment does not mean you cannot look for a better job or purchase a car without so many mechanical issues. Still, it does mean that until you find contentment in God, these other things will not allow your heart to rest and be merry in your Savior.
-D. Eaton
The Fight of Faith 