A few weeks ago we considered that the state of being content might involve a balance between desiring to do one’s best and thanking God for His provisions. So that you will know the idea is not just an abstract cranial exercise, I want to share with you my own experience in connection with the subject.
For twelve years I worked for an IBM division that was prime contractor for the Instrument Unit, the “brains” of the Saturn rocket that was used to deliver American astronauts to the Moon. For most of those years the work was exciting and challenging. As the Apollo Program began winding down, the work became less interesting and more tedious and boring to me. I found myself wanting to do more, thinking I had to break loose and do some great work on my own. I had visions of becoming my own boss and become independently wealthy. Eventually, IBM decided to phase out their Huntsville operation that was involved with Government contracts. I had the choice of transferring to an out-of-state location or leaving the company. Thinking this was the opportunity I had been waiting for, I opted to leave the company and try a business venture. I believed God had provided this opportunity; so I didn’t hesitate to take advantage of it.
Using my severance pay, I became a wholesale distributor of an assortment of items. To make a long story short, the venture didn’t go well. While I was able to sell some of all the various products I carried, the sales volume just never was enough. My severance fund ran out, so I had to do some borrowing to survive. Wilma took a part-time job so as to help with our survival and be at home when our children were.
Having been unable to find contentment working for one of the better companies, I tried my own thing. I found myself doing the two things I never wanted to do for a living – selling and going on the road. Some people can do either or both easily, but I couldn’t. Selling was difficult for me, and I strongly disliked being away from my family for extended time periods. So in a motel room in Tupelo I gave up my dream of doing my own great work and asked God to give me direction. In a few weeks I returned to doing the kind of work I had done before. God blessed, we paid off business debt, and eventually we recovered financially.
Do you have the picture? I left a good job with good salary and benefits because I wasn’t content. In my pursuit of contentment I came to the point of far less contentment. Do you think God had a part in all of that? I do. Even if I had agreed to a transfer with the company, I would not have been content after a time. Trying my own thing was just something I had to do to get it out of my system. Even though there was nothing inherently wrong with what I wanted to do, God knew I wasn’t suited for it. He also knew that allowing me to try it was the only way I would learn contentment.
After that venture I experienced peace and contentment while reporting to others and doing my job. There were periods of time when I was tempted to think about trying my own thing again. Those periods lasted only a few nanoseconds. The memory of the hard time remained in my frontal lobe for a very long time. I still had the desire to do my best and to excel in my work. But that desire was balanced with reality and thanksgiving. God taught me the secret of contentment. If there’s a need, He’ll do the same for you.