1 Timothy 6:3-10 I have been struggling with the paradox of this week’s topic. We are saying we need to gain momentum and we do so by being content. Contentment seems to be just the opposite of momentum. Contentment seem to be standing still, happy with where we are, with no momentum at all. Epicurius said, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you don’t have: remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” This too points out the paradox. What we have is what we once hoped for. Yet we shouldn’t spoil what we have by hoping for something else.
Early in the film Zootopia, parents of a bunny try to convince the girl that she shouldn’t aspire to become a policeman. She should be content with being a carrot farmer. Instead she works hard and becomes the hero of the film. She overcame people who wanted to typecast her as a dumb bunny. She wasn’t content with being what people expected but strove to become the impossible and did it.
This seems to go directly against what Paul Teaches us in 1 Timothy. He said to be content. Sounds just like the parents of Officer Hopps. Be content; don’t strive after your dream. But this is a misunderstanding of what Paul was teaching. Paul himself says several times we need “to strive” (for example 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Timothy 4:10). What? As I said, striving and contentment don’t go together, do they? Well, this shows us that we have to be careful about taking ideas out of context.
Paul is reflecting Jesus’ teaching regarding money. When we are not content with what God has provided, we start chasing after more and more. Money becomes out master (Luke 16:13). When we strive after money we don’t strive after godliness and it leads to nothing but slavery. On the other hand, our striving for godliness with contentment leads to great gain.
The bunny in Zootopia saw becoming another carrot farmer as just chasing after financial gain. What she strove after was something more than her own benefit. She wanted to help make the world better. She found contentment in putting others first. In the same way, when we seek God first and His righteousness, He will take care of the rest allowing us to find great contentment.
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