Driven & Content
Genesis 1:28 | ESV
God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion...
Psalm 23:1 | ESV
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
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Philippians 3:14 | NIV
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:12 | NIV
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation
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I believe we've received a God-given drive to create, build, grow, and learn. The seed of the Creator in us longs to pop through the soil and reach for the sky. This original, good, god-like design was purposefully given to us to build a world with God's presence, goodness and love at the very center.
Our Genesis mandate to multiply, fill the earth and rule over it (paired with the image of a garden-like city at the end of Revelation) reminds us that collectively leveraging our relationships and skills to build the Kingdom of God is the ultimate goal.
Within this master plan marriage is good, families are good, work is good, skill is good, innovation is good, community is good, growth is good, and goals are good.
There is nothing wrong with being driven by this goal—to creatively participate in the growth of Kingdom of God for the purpose of further inviting His rule and reign into humanity.
But what if I feel this desire for a family and I'm still single? What if I have these skills and this creative energy but I'm being underutilized? What if I have this dream but don't have the finances? What if I have the resume but don't have the job?
What do I do while I wait?
I'm going to make the argument that it's the same thing I do when I succeed. Because no matter where we're positioned in the arc of the journey, no one will ever fully "arrive" this side of Heaven.
That family you've always wanted will be great but bring different challenges. That dream you finally realized still has more potential you can't ever reach on your own. That job you finally got still has obstacles to manage. The financial goal you hit is still not seemingly enough.
Realizing life is more about who we're becoming in the journey than reaching our goals is key.
When I settle into this reality, it's a perfect reminder of what all my creative drive should be working towards in the first place—
Connection with my Father.
Even though there's a good drive in me to WANT more, these moments along the journey teach me I don't NEED more.
The only thing I really NEED is the loving presence of my Good Shepherd.
Paul's "secret" of contentment was a full surrender of his gifts, talents, time, and life to the will of the Holy Spirit and a complete detachment of his identity to any of his accomplishments—both the realized ones and the ones he was still pressing on towards.
Philippians 3:8 | NIV
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
This is a truth I need in this season, a time when my drive may be outweighing my contentment and my "want" may be out-shinning my "need".
Truly, there is nothing more I could possibly need that He hasn't already provided that's stopping me from sitting beside my Shepherd and letting Him fill my cup.
I'll bet the same is true for you.
Contentment can be a permanent quality in our lives, even while our drive is full steam ahead..and even while we're waiting.
But it requires a constant vigilance and a daily surrender of our identities to Christ.
Press on, my friends.