O Sigh, Can You See

Several years ago when we lived in Texas, I was coming back from a deer hunting trip with my associate minister, Cary Branscum. It was our usual Monday-day-off hunting trip to a friend's property just outside of Hico, TX. A comment Cary made that evening as we drove back to Ft.Worth, has stuck with me over the years. He said, "We've got a deer in the back, we're listening to oldies on the radio, and eating a DQ Blizzard. It doesn't get any better than this." I always felt like that was the purest definition of contentment I've ever heard.
But is contentment really defined by the conditions around us or by the peace within us? Have you ever sat back in your favorite chair, with a great cup of coffee in hand, and looked around the house at your things and declared, "Life is good"? Or maybe contentment is a "one of these days" kind of thing. One of these days, when you have, purchase, accumulate, or obtain whatever it is you think will make life wonderful - you'll find contentment. Paul said he'd learned to be content in whatever circumstance he found himself in and he'd experienced both plenty and poverty. (Phil.4) In 1 Timothy 6, he said if we have food and clothing we should be content. Does contentment come from rejecting physical comforts? Is it only found in some kind of ascetic living? Is it about "doing without"?
The amazing thing, when you really listen to Paul's comments in context, is that contentment doesn't have anything to do with possessions or material comforts. Contentment comes from an honest relationship with God and with Jesus. Our attachment - our passion in life, is knowing Him, drawing closer to Him, and longing to be with Him in our eternal bodies. That is the secret to being joyful in spite of your surroundings rather than because of them. When he said he could do anything through "him who gives me strength" he was talking about a peace and contentment that transcends income brackets and economic conditions, whether good or bad.
The real question is: If I am content, am I content because of my physical blessings or because of my spiritual relationships? Which one can I do without - if I have to choose? When life is smooth and wonderful, how do you know if you have a real relationship with God or if you're just enjoying the good life? Being happy is not the contentment Paul is talking about.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, my lesson at Florissant will be about Contentment Robbers. Maybe I'll post the main points on Monday and share some things to think about.