Being Content in a Pandemic

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:11-13 ESV)

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (1 Tim. 6:6-8 ESV)

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Heb. 13:5 ESV)

So how's your contentment going during this pandemic? I think for some it's been just fine - maybe even better than normal life. This is especially true for the wealthy and financially secure. It's especially true, I guess, for the relatively self-contained, who need less of a social life!

For many, Christians included, the pandemic with its resultant restrictions has brought real stress and a real struggle for contentment. For me personally, the lockdown and restrictions haven't come at the best time. As one who lives in Greater Manchester, where we have increased restrictions again recently, it's hard to be content and not just frustrated!

As I look at the Bible's teaching on contentment, I can see a few things that might be an issue and might help.

1. Discontent seems often to linger around what I have and don't have financially and possessions-wise. The challenge for many in this pandemic and, no doubt, for many years to come, is that it will obliterate our "lifestyle". For many, in the west in particular, this has been all-consuming. So for many of us, Christians too, we have made lifestyle our idol. It seems likely to me that (among all sorts of other things) God is using these circumstances to dislodge this idol. In a sense, we have been unwilling to give our comfortable lifestyles up and so they have been taken from us. The parable of the rich fool comes to mind (Luke 12:13-21).
2. The flip side of this is that we struggle with the reality of God's sovereignty most when things are not going well for us. Many more reformed and Calvinistic Christians (like myself) have spent years wanting to convince our more "woolly" brothers and sisters of the truth of the sovereignty of God, but now many of us face the sharp end of that truth and our struggles with contentment are also subtle struggles with living out our theology of sovereignty.
3. We ultimately face a choice as to where we will run. If we run towards our sovereign God, we run towards contentment - even in hard times. That's why Paul can say, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me," and why the writer to the Hebrews reminds us of God's promise "I will never leave you nor forsake you," when writing about contentment. Ironically if we run towards lifestyle, or satisfying our contentment urge, we will find ourselves increasing our discontent.

For what it's worth, along with patience, I think the battle to be content in the current situation is one of the biggest I face at the moment. Maybe that's true for you too.