How to be content while striving for the next thing

Be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Today concludes our series exploring couplets of biblical truths that God calls us to hold in tension. Here’s our final piece of double-sided wisdom: Desire Good Things AND Be Content in All Things.

Many Christians don’t feel permission to desire. But Scripture gives it to us repeatedly! In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus encouraged his followers to “ask” for “good gifts.” And Psalm 37:4 urges us to "take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." 

So, while Scripture condemns fleshly desires (see Galatians 5:16-17), it clearly commends good and God-honoring desires like landing a promotion so you can serve more people or earning more income so you can give more generously.

But the flip side of this double-sided wisdom is to “be content with what you have” (see Hebrews 13:5). So, God delights in his children’s good desires and he also calls us to be content. The question I’m often asking is this: How can you and I cultivate contentment while simultaneously desiring the next thing? Here are three ideas.

#1: Measure progress backward rather than forward. When I’m chasing after a big goal, I default to measuring progress forward—between where I am now and where I desire to be. But I’m learning the wisdom of measuring progress backward—between where I am now and where I was before as a means of cultivating gratitude and contentment as I strive for what’s next. 

I have actually done this physically in my office, by putting the books God has already allowed me to publish on the bookshelf behind where I sit as I look forward onto my laptop and whatever I’m striving for next.

#2: Praise God for anything he has given you beyond food and clothing. In 1 Timothy 6:6-8 Paul says that “if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” Why? Because that’s all Jesus promised his followers materially (see Matthew 6:28-33)! And that perspective should lead us to awe and contentment that God has given us anything else in addition to what he promised.

#3: Refuse to strive one day a week. One thing that makes biblical Sabbath distinct from the other six days of the week is the intentional cessation of striving. My family loves the life-giving discipline of simply enjoying what God has already given us while refusing to discuss or work on what’s next. If holding the tension between desiring good things and being content with what you have is a challenge for you, give Sabbath a shot.