“There lies the first mystery of contentment. A truly contented man, though he is the most contented man in the world, is the most dissatisfied man in the world: that is, those things that will satisfy the world will not satisfy him.” –Jeremiah Burroughs

There is a paradox to contentment. And it causes us to wrestle. What makes a Christian content? What are we supposed to do when we’re unsatisfied?

Recently, many have turned to Stoicism for the answer. A quick search shows more than a handful of books retrieving Stoic principles for our day: The Daily Stoic, How to Be a Stoic, The Stoic Challenge, and The Practicing Stoic are just a few titles on the list. Stoicism promotes inner peace and emotional resilience by regulating emotions through rationality. Basically, if it’s outside of your control, you shouldn’t feel bad about it.

It can be easy to see why Stoicism has gained momentum in this frenetic cultural moment: there’s some truth to it. But the Bible offers a deeper source of contentment that embodies a fuller range of emotions. Even when things are out of your control, there are things we should feel. This practice is called lament.

Discontentment Finds a Voice in Lament 

We can learn contentment through the art of lament. Are believers meant to be quiet, calm, and collected in the face of challenging circumstances? I believe the Bible presses beyond this outward expression of Stoicism. After all this could be hypocrisy if one’s internal state differs from an outward, quiet demeanor. Remember Jesus’s words in Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside, you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Biblical contentment moves beyond the outward appearance and gives voice to the internal discontentment with the world, the flesh, and the devil.     

Lament is the cry of God’s children to their Father in a fallen world. The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery explains, “Common occasions for lament psalms are mockery or slander by personal enemies, warfare, disease, drought or the burden of sin and guilt.” Though these things are mostly outside our control, the believer has a place to complain. He is welcome to talk to his Father. Christian author Mark Vroegop says, “Lament is how you live between the poles of a hard life and trust in God’s sovereignty.” When a situation looks hopeless, the believer comes to the all-sufficient God. Lament is the believer’s way to grieve and pray. Vroegop continues, “Lament is rooted in what we believe. It is a prayer loaded with theology.” It is how pain is gloriously transformed into praise. Lament asks real questions like “(1) ‘Where are you, God?’ (2) ‘If you love me, why is this happening?’” Lament is the place for discontentment and vexation to find a voice. Vroegop describes lament as turning to God in prayer (Psalm 77), “Bring your complaints” to God (Psalm 10), “Asking boldly” (Psalm 22), and choosing to trust (Psalm 13). Because believers live in a fallen world, we must learn contentment. Lament is the key that unlocks the door to contentment. 

There is a paradox to contentment. Christians aren’t satisfied with the world, the flesh, or what the devil has to offer. We turn to Christ as our great gain, and we learn through our experiences. We find that we aren’t alone in our suffering. God our Father, is a very present help in time of trouble and his ear is open to our cries.

Contentment is Learned 

If the practice of lament feels foreign to you, there’s good news. Contentment can be learned over time. As the Apostle Paul says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11). The mystery of contentment is that believers gain contentment as they rely on the all-sufficient God. This means godly people like Paul had to wrestle to come “to grips with his circumstances.” He did so by relying on his relationship with Christ. These real-life circumstances are actually teaching him how to have “an attitude of appreciation, contentment, adaptability, and dependency.” 

Even Stoic philosophers say, “The wise person will develop virtues” whether “in riches” or “in poverty” “in his own country” or “in exile,” “as commander” or “as a soldier,” “healthy” or “sickly.” But it is significant to notice that in the face of difficult circumstances, Paul moves beyond a merely Stoic outward demeanor. Paul learned to be content with his lot, not only externally but also internally. 

The Bible lays the groundwork for this kind of contentment in hard times. Christian contentment is a life weaned from the world and is “in need of no support” outside of Christ. Yes, a content Christian can enjoy God’s good gifts on earth but is not reliant on them.

Contentment is Great Gain

Finally, contentment is great gain. First Timothy 6:6-7 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” Contentment is the overflow of wisdom and is a great treasure. It is a way to flourish in life. And it is the only way the well-loved hymn writer Horatio Spafford could pen after losing most of his children, “And whatever my lot / Thou has taught me to say / It is well, it is well with my soul.” This kind of soul-lament is not Stoic. It is deeply Christian. And may we likewise lean into this kind of lament-fueled contentment.

Sources

• Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment 19, 27.
• Melick Philippians, Colossians, Philemon 154-155.
•  Vroegop, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy 9, 21, 26,28
•  Hellerman, Philippians 258.
•  Ryken, Wilhoit, and Longman, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery 484.