Learning Contentment, Part 2

As I was reading through Philippians 4 again, it occurred to me that perhaps verses 4-9 are part of the instruction from God necessary to learn contentment. 

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."  

It seems to me that all these things are necessary for true contentment. See, the opposite of rejoicing is as follows: "moan, sorrow, sulk, be in a huff, grieve, mourn" (wordhippo.com). I don't know about you, but when I am any of those antonyms of rejoicing listed above, I am far from content. I would go so far as to say it is impossible to be content when experiencing at least most of those verbs. I usually moan, sulk, and huff when things aren't going my way or aren't happening fast enough. I grieve, mourn and am sorrowful when something is taken away from me. The way I see it, we must learn to rejoice in all situations no matter how our flesh desires to react. If we are truly rejoicing in all things, learning to be content will come much easier because we will be exceedingly glad and thriving in whatever life throws at us. 


"Let your gentleness be known to all men." Hmmm. Some other words for gentleness include the following: "mildness, calmness, tenderness, placidity, quietness, softness, lightness, tranquility, mellowness, restfulness, peacefulness" (wordhippo.com). I think all of those things would definitely make learning contentment easier to achieve than if we were harsh all the time!


Verse 6 is probably one of the most obvious ways to learn contentment: "Be anxious for nothing". Since anxiousness comes from being unsatisfied, I think it is safe to conclude that it is not in the definition of contentment. A person who is content is not worrying about things. He or she is satisfied. Besides, what does worry profit? Nothing positive that I know of. Yet, how easy is it to worry and be anxious about various situations in life? Something to think about for sure! Giving everything to God is necessary to learn contentment. And spending time in prayer, sharing our requests and giving thanks for what we have will help remind us of all that we do have.


Then, I think that by focusing our thoughts on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy, we will already be setting ourselves up for contentment. It is when we think on the things that we wish we had, the things others have, the evil of the world, and the hopelessness that seems to be infiltrating society today that we become unsatisfied and unhappy with life. We should also spend time meditating on the things that we have been taught over the years - through godly mentors, our parents, daily devotions, the Scriptures, etc. This too will help us learn contentment.


Honestly, learning contentment will take work. We will have to be consciously turning our thoughts on God-honoring things, continuously walking in the Spirit, meticulously setting our attitude in the right direction, and always looking upwards to the One who is able to do abundantly more than we could ever do on our own. We must remember that we cannot learn contentment ourselves. It will be through Christ who gives us strength that we will learn to live a life of contentment, and it will take work, courage, and much prayer.

Ordinary People and Surprising Methods

Naaman Healed of Leprosy

Today I was reading in 2 Kings when I came across one of the popular Sunday School stories I remembered from my childhood - that of Naaman the leper. I am sure I have read the story more than once before, but today there were a couple elements within the story that I was seeing as though for the first time. Yes, I had been aware of these aspects of the story before, but today they seemed to have a new depth and a new meaning. 

Now Naaman was a man of wealth, position, and power - a man of high regard. Naaman was the commander, or general, of the Syrian army and had led that army to victory on numerous occasions. He was held in high regard and given honor even by the Syrian king. Yet, Naaman suffered with the curse of leprosy. Leprosy, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, is defined as "a disease that has been known since biblical times...causes skin sores, nerve damage, and muscle weakness that gets worse over time." It also shares some of the possible complications of long-term leprosy: "disfigurement", "muscle weakness", "permanent nerve damage in the arms and legs", "sensory loss", a most seriously loss "of the use of their hands or feet due to repeated injury because they lack feeling in those areas". Leprosy is said to be an extremely painful disease.

On one of the raids led by Naaman, a young girl was captured and brought back to Syria to serve in the house of Naaman. This young servant girl waited upon Naaman's wife. Although uprooted and taken from everything she had once called "home", this girl seemed to truly care for those she served. It does not appear that she held any bitterness, hate, or rebellion against Naaman or those within his home. Clearly, this little girl loved God deeply and knew that she had been placed in the house of Naaman for a purpose beyond being a simple maidservant. This little girl genuinely cared for those who had removed her from her homeland and reduced her to servitude. She was also full of courage. 

"Then she said to her mistress, 'If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.'" 2 Kings 5:3, NKJV

This request was not as simple as it would seem. The little servant girl was a bit like Esther when she went before the king of Persia uninvited. What the servant girl was suggesting would require Naaman to reject the gods of his land and put the military strength of his country in jeopardy. Her request could have cost the young girl her very life. It is clear that she had great faith in God and his plan. It appears as though this little girl was truly put in the house of Naaman for "such a time as this". 


I have to take a step back at this point and wonder what made Naaman listen to the servant girl. Was it out of desperation? Was it because of the way in which the young girl spoke? Did she possess a quiet strength? Did she speak with passion and fire? Or was it because she had proved to be faithful and trustworthy during her time of servitude? Was she respected by Naaman and his wife so much that they would act upon her preposterous suggestion so quickly? I mean, Naaman had to realize the great risk involved. He was a man of status, but to do what the child suggested could involve his position being taken away from him, his reputation being ruined, or worse. 


As it turns out, Naaman bravely went before the king of Syria and shared what the little servant girl had told him. Now, the king had some decisions to make. First of all, what was he to do? Naaman had laid everything on the line. He had rejected the Syrian gods and made it clear that his health was more important to him than his current position. The king was also brave. He knew that Syria and Israel were not on good terms, yet he commanded Naaman to travel immediately to Israel, and sent a letter to the king of Israel ahead of Naaman. He also sent with Naaman many valuable gifts to present before the king of Israel in exchange for his healing. 


The letter that the king of Syria sent was not well-received by the king of Israel, however. In fact, the king of Israel was so distraught and full of fear that he rent his clothes. He fully believed that a trap was being laid out for him. It was the prophet Elisha who told the king of Israel that he need not fear. Elisha told the king to let Naaman come to him so that Naaman would see that there was a prophet of the Most High in Israel. 


Oddly enough, it was not Elisha who met Naaman, but a messenger who told him to "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times" so that he would be healed. If I had been Naaman, I think I would have demanded to see the prophet Elisha. I think, like Naaman, I would have been furious at the messenger for daring to suggest such a preposterous notion to ME - ME...a man of power and station! WASH IN THE JORDAN RIVER?!?!?! What was that messenger thinking?!?! Didn't he realize that the Jordan River was filthy and unfit for a man of his regard to get into - much less bathe in? Had he known that he would just have to bathe in a river, he could have stayed home and bathed in one there! Those rivers were much cleaner!!! Naaman had an idea of how the healing should occur already in mind. There was no way he would settle for bathing in a stinky, dirty river! No, Elisha would simply need to call out to God and wave his hands around and Naaman would be healed. Nothing demeaning would be required of him. 


Hmmm....sounds a little prideful. Thankfully, one of Naaman's servants was brave enough to confront his master regarding his pride. "If the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it?" the servant asked. WOW! I'm sure Naaman was thinking he would have definitely done what Elisha's messenger had asked had it been something that would have made him look better and have increased his stature. Then comes the kicker. "How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash and be clean'?" asked the servant. Hmmm.... Well, needless to say, Naaman's pride got a little hurt. He was humbled though, and went down to the Jordan River and bathed seven times - just as Elisha's messenger had commanded. As a result, Naaman was healed and his skin became like that of a child. 


Interesting that pride almost prevented Naaman from receiving healing from God. Perhaps that is something we need to be more aware of as well. Is there any pride in our own lives that is keeping us from receiving something from God - be it healing, direction, or blessings? Definitely something to keep in mind.


Now, after Naaman had been healed, he and all his men went to Elisha's servant and proclaimed that he now knew that the Lord God of Israel was the only true god. Naaman offered him gifts, but the man of God refused them. He urged him to take the gifts, but to no avail. So, Naaman then requested that the Lord forgive him when he goes into the temple of the Syrian gods with his master. His request was granted and he went on his way. 


I find it very interesting that the story does not end here. The story continues with the man of God allowing greed, selfishness, and deceit to cloud his judgment. Elisha's messenger, instead of returning to Elisha, ran after Naaman and lied to him, telling him that Elisha had told him to find Naaman and take some of the gifts offered. Naaman willingly gave the man what he asked for and the servant of God hid the gifts before returning to Elisha. Fully expecting to get away with his deceitful acts, the messenger was taken aback when Elisha rebuked him for his actions and placed upon the messenger and all of his descendants the leprosy that had plagued Naaman. The truth will always come out! Do not be deceived into thinking that you can get away with lies and deceit. While you may think you are for awhile, the truth will come out - most likely when you are least prepared for it. And there are always consequences for our actions. Always. Just look at Elisha's messenger. Do you think he regretted his choices and actions when he was found out and punished? I think so. I think that he probably never fully lived that one down. I'm sure he wishes that he had just returned to Elisha immediately and had not allowed sinful thoughts to entertain his mind. I caution you to walk in the Spirit! Do not let the enemy gain a foothold in your life!