Contentment Versus Striving
Do you struggle with striving for more?
Verse of the Day
“Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.”
Today’s Devotional
This is another great example of a verse that makes more sense when we read it in multiple translations.
‘Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. ‘ (NIV) ‘One handful of peaceful repose is better than two fistfuls of worried work— More spitting into the wind.’ (MSG) ‘Better one handful with rest than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind. ‘ (CSB)
Let’s look at the different words that are used. First, we have quietness, tranquility, peaceful repose and rest. On the contrary, we have hard work, toil, worried work, effort and chasing the wind. If you had to pick right now, which list more accurately describes you?
Interestingly enough, the commentaries describe this verse as contentment versus striving. That’s interesting because we talk about striving a lot in my house. So what is striving, and why is it dangerous?
For the purpose of this verse, let’s describe striving as always grasping for further success. Don’t get me wrong, I do not think that making goals and working to achieve them is wrong. I believe that God calls us to be hard workers. To illustrate my point, let’s look at a silly example that may or may not be an accurate description of my life.
Suppose that I have set a goal to lose some weight. I want to take better care of the body God gave me and I want to feel comfortable in my own skin. So I set about to make healthier choices and follow through on the goal that I have set. So far, this seems like a really good plan, right? Follow me through the next few weeks and I am making choices that align with my goal. I am working hard to make healthy choices and change some bad habits. But here’s where the problem occurs. Once a week, I step on the scale to measure my success. Each week, the scale goes down a tiny bit. Instead of rejoicing in my success, my brain might instantly go to, “That’s nice and all, but I really want to lose at least 10 more pounds.” Do you see the problem? There’s no rejoicing in today’s victory. There’s no gratitude for the change, albeit small. There’s no grace for the fact that these things take time. There’s no being present in this moment. The hard work isn’t wrong. The problem occurs when we are not satisfied with where we are and what we have today.
The last time you had any kind of success or achievement, did your brain instantly go to a place of rejoicing? Or did it go to, “That’s great. Now if only I could just…..”? Rejoicing over where we are today does not negate the desire for things to get better. Choosing contentment and gratitude does not mean complacency. It means being present. It means finding joy in small things. It means seeing that God is a God for today, not for “if only”. Striving assumes a posture of the heart that can never truly be satisfied. Striving is searching for some “thing” or achievement to define us and determine our worth. Striving, according to today’s verse, is the equivalent of chasing after the wind.
Just like I can’t catch the wind, I can’t find contentment in anything on this earth if my identity is tied to anything of this earth. If my identity is in Christ, and I recognize that the growth, transformation and sanctification process takes time, then I can celebrate every single step in that direction. If my identity is in Christ, then the little that I have today can be cause for contentment and gratitude. I don’t need more of anything of this earth. I need Jesus.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Which list better describes you: “quietness, tranquility, peaceful repose and rest” OR “hard work, toil, worried work, effort and chasing the wind”?
In what way do you find yourself wanting more?
How can you choose to be more content with exactly what you have and where you are today?
In what can you choose joy and gratitude – especially in some area that you really want to improve upon?
How can you be more present in this exact moment?