A Learned Skill

Paul wasn’t born with a personality prone to be content. Twice he writes that he learned to be content. He had been through some challenging situations. He was socially ostracized because of his choice to follow Jesus. He was beaten, imprisoned, left for dead and shipwrecked. Through these life events, he had a choice. He could be discontent and complain—or he could lean into God and learn contentment. Given what he went through, it is likely a choice he had to make more than once.

There are many skills and professions where refresher courses and professional development are the norm. We may not want to take the time to do it, but we do these things to maintain a license or keep from making a crucial mistake.

Contentment is a lot like that. It’s a learned skill. It’s a choice we make to focus on God instead of what is happening around and to us. As we navigate life, we have to re-enroll in the school of contentment from time to time. Many challenges and things we could complain about surround us now. Most of us probably need to admit that we need to re-enroll in the school of contentment whether we feel like it or not.