Ambition vs. Contentment

Every morning, the match begins. As soon as the alarm goes off by the side of my bed, I can hear the announcer introducing the two contenders that are extremely competitive in their battle for my peace of mind.

On one side, the hunger inside of me that causes my mind to race well before the noise of the clock. This hunger is mostly driven by what I don’t have, what I see others have, the desire to stay fresher than the next man, to not lose positions or relevance, to be greater, do greater, for my family to have better and to be better, and to never be satisfied with where I am.

On the other side, is the soft, loving and cushiony posture developed by my belief system that jumps off the pages of ancient writings. It whispers “be content with what you have, in everything give thanks, put others above yourselves, and…seek ye first.”

As I write this, I know there will be some of you who either lean to one side or the other, because most of us never seem to maintain the perfect balance of both. We are forced to be a dissatisfied society inside and outside of the church. We can barely have time to smell the flowers because there’s a new flower about to bloom in our neighbor’s garden – that smells better. It appears most ambitious people rarely succeed at the things contented people succeed at. One will have a successful business and money flowing, while their homes are in chaos and their marriages are too fragile to enjoy the fruit from the work. Contented people sometimes aren’t engaged in trying to help change the world, fight for the less fortunate, get involved in climate change because it’s all gonna burn up anyway, or go above and beyond instead of just settling for average. How does one not fall into the tricks of this world where every new dollar has to turn into a new home or a new wife?

And how do I give thanks for where I am but keep a healthy hunger for where I’d like to be?

ONE HAS TO DRIVE, AND ONE HAS TO RIDE.

Ambition and contentment can both be in your life, but they cannot share the same space.

I have learned that the tool God has given us to make sure they both play their roles well is ALWAYS GIVING THANKS. Always. As I build my company while working for someone else’s, I give thanks for my job while others don’t even have a job to complain about. And, I also get the blessing of seeking to build my own. If the attempt fails, I give thanks that God is going to use this failing process to only make me stronger the next time a door opens for me to try it again. See, what giving thanks in everything does for you?

It helps you not lose your mind in the process. You keep a spiritual altitude that doesn’t let you get self-absorbed in the process of succeeding or failing. I chase [which is ambition], but I “chill” as I chase [that’s the contentment].

Or how about this:

REMEMBER THE TEAM.

John Kerry is the Secretary of State for the United States of America. When he travels to foreign countries and he’s in meetings with world leaders on the verge of wars and global chaos, he must be ambitious in discussing strategies to solve issues that have potential to be catastrophic. However, he can never do that for the benefit of John Kerry, it must always be for the benefit of the country he represents. Even if he never gets the praise for it. And he must be content with that.

So we live sober lives remembering that they are on loan.  We must remember that the drive to succeed is always for the one who loaned us that life in the first place.

Contentment comes from the gratitude of being found and redeemed, and ambition comes from the desire to hurry up and repay the Redeemer.

Amen.

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