Battle 1: Contentment vs. Progress

It is well after midnight here in Springfield, but I am honestly nowhere near ready for sleep. Today I had an internship meeting at OnCourse magazine. I am currently in the development stage of my story ideas for the next issue. One that I am completely stoked about is the spiritual column, which will be dealing with the concept of contentment as opposed to progress in our Christian walk. The ideas pouring out of my brain for this story were too exciting to keep to myself, so I figured I would write them on the blog (even though I will be assigning the story to someone else haha).
The most important thing to remember when looking at these two seemingly incompatible ideas is the fact that contentment is not the same as stagnation. In the evangelical community at large, people often make the mistake of taking someone's contentment for them simply being stagnant. Stagnation is sitting motionless in one stage of your walk with God, and having no intent of going further. Just as a pond that is stagnant begins to grow all kinds of filth and algae, so a person who is stagnant in their walk with Christ. They begin to become bogged down with the filth all around them and many eventually fall away from their relationships with Christ altogether. Those who don't fall away become wrapped up in license and begin to look for all the ways that they can blur the line between right and wrong and still call themselves "Christians."
These kind of people are not the type of people that this article will be addressing. I am more interested in contentment. Contentment is getting to a stage in your walk and learning to be happy and enjoy it, while looking ahead toward the next level. It is not about standing still. It is about walking in thanksgiving and gratitude while you are in one level. Did you know that in the Bible (specifically the Old Testament), God gives Moses several feasts and parties that the Jews must engage in. The feasts were a time for good food, family enjoyment, relaxation, getting away from the stresses of life, and giving praise to God for His provision to them. God even goes so far as to say that anyone who does not take part in the feasts and parties will be killed! When is the last time you heard that God preached from the pulpit? The God who says, "Take time to relax and party, or I'll kill you." That is certainly not a common view that we have of God. However, I think these scriptures show us that God does want us to take time to be content in Him. Just because we are at one level does not mean we have to stay there. If that's not a reason to stop and party and praise God, then I don't know what is.
Progress is a different animal, because it presupposes the idea that you cannot just stay in one place in God. This unnerves us because we are so horrified by the notion of change from what is comfortable. We love change when it comes to something that we do not quite appreciate. Just look at the last presidential election. Most people voted primarily for the purpose of bringing about some kind of change. The truth of the matter is that God is extremely interested in bringing about change in our lives, and the sooner we get accustomed to it the better. Just as God loves for us to be content and thankful for our current walk, He is also given great pleasure by encouraging us toward the next level. Contentment and progress must go hand in hand in order for God's purpose in our lives to be fulfilled. If you lean too far one way or too far the other, it may be time to reevaluate your walk. Are you so anxious to get to the next thing God has for you that you don't take anytime to thank him for what He is currently doing or what He's done in the past? Or are you so comfortable with where He's brought you that you can't bear the thought of leaving? In either situation, you must realize that God is a God of balance. There are two sides to every coin and two parts to every walk. Stop and take a minute to enjoy where God has you. Then pick your head up, look toward the next checkpoint, and do what you know God is calling you to.

So I'm thinking that whoever ends up writing this will do a great job. Those are just my thoughts. In the end, I am still just trying to sort this whole thing out myself. God bless.