Why should we care?
If learning the attitude of contentment takes effort, why should we bother? Sometimes, doesn’t letting ourselves feel miserable lead to feeling better in the end?
A Biblical answer to our question is found in I Timothy, where the Apostle Paul writes, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Godliness already sounds pretty good! But when paired with contentment, it leads to “great gain.” That original word for gain is used only once in the New Testament, and it means, literally, the way, the means, or route. In other words, contentment paves the way to gain – not the other way around.
Go back and read that last sentence again. If we truly grasp this, it will change our entire mindset. Yes, it is important to not stuff our feelings – but we do have to deal with them well.
Science also answers our “why should we care” question. Researchers have long known that discontentment literally makes us sick. For example, regardless of any other demographic or health factors, we are far more likely to catch a virus if we are more discontented or anxious during the prior week. Crazy, right?
And we haven’t even started on the most obvious issue, which is the destructive effect that discontentment has on our relationships. How many arguments, assumptions, and even affairs could be avoided if we approached our relationships with contentment, appreciation, and optimism about how we each might grow?
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