“Contentment is not satisfaction. It is the grateful, faithful, fruitful use of what we have, little or much. It is to take the cup of Providence, and call upon the name of the Lord. What the cup contains is its contents. To get all that is in the cup is the act and art of contentment. Not to drink because one has but half a cup, or because one does not like its flavor, or because somebody else has silver to one’s own glass, is to lose the contents; and that is the penalty, if not the meaning, of discontent. No one is discontented who employs and enjoys to the utmost what he has. It is high philosophy to say, we can have just what we like if we like what we have; but this much at least can be done, and this is contentment: to have the most and best in life by making the most and best of what we have.”
… Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901)

It is my observation that for the most part “contentment” is seen as a passive thing in our culture. So I really enjoyed reading the words above this morning and seeing it as being very, very active… and positive. Yet it is still a very odd thing because at what point does the Spirit move my contentment to the point of discontent? At what point does the Spirit well up inside me and say “this is not a place you need to be”.

Reading Babcock’s words again, though, I see in them the ability for contentment and non-satisfaction to co-exist, which takes me back to that odd place where I desire for there to be black and white. Is Babcock right? Do I have to get it out of my head that contentment and satisfaction are not one and the same? Don’t anybody tell the dictionary, because it described contented as “feeling or showing satisfaction”. Even when I did a topical search for “content” on the BibleGateway.com this morning it referred me to “resignment”. Ick, I didn’t like that implication of passivity.

This morning, I find myself wanting Paul to tell me more than his words in Philippians 4:12 – “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Has Babcock discovered the secret? If you’re not totally confused by now… I am.

Oh, so I just looked at the origin for the word “contented” and it came from the Latin for “satisfied”. I took Latin in high school, I should have known that. And no wonder our language always pairs those two words.