Contentment, Not Apathy

Last week, after my comments on the importance of contentment, a friend of mine pointed out that dissatisfied people are the ones who change the world, and I absolutely agree. However, I think it's entirely possible to be content on a personal level while being an agitator for positive change. Many of those we call heroes in scripture would certainly fit that description, Jesus included.

Contentment regarding what we cannot change is not the same as being satisfied with leaving well enough alone when it comes to matters of injustice and evil. Personal peace stems from the ability to process what is beyond our control and still continue to lead a productive, balanced life, to be well and whole, not stressed, to find comfort and meaning in the midst of life's difficulties. While I believe this is the very heart of what it means to be a Christian, I also think inner contentment should be the impetus for a life of service.

Jesus gave two great commandments: to love God with every fiber of our being and to love others as we love ourselves. I don't know if it is possible to fully love others as we love ourselves without first being content. If we live in a constant state of agitation, never satisfied with what we have, always wishing our personal circumstances could be better, wanting more possessions and greater wealth, that is not love, it is loathing. An existence at that superficial level leads only to selfishness, not to a selfless life of love.

Once we find contentment, we realize peace which passes understanding is a goal worth attaining. Then, we are in a position to help others find that same peace, and therein lies the difference between contentment and apathy in a believer's life. We first must find joy ourselves, then we are to care so deeply about others, we want them to experience the same blessings we have.

While great injustices have been imposed through misguided religious reasoning over the centuries, many social wrongs have also been righted through movements initiated by the Church or at least propelled by believers. We should not be satisfied with a status quo which favors greed and offhandedly dismisses the downtrodden; our own contentment is not an excuse to sit idly by while others are suffering.