The Real Danger of Discontentment

We all deal with it–discontentment. It’s that universal pull to want what you don’t have. Some see it as a great driver for capitalism. It moves us to spend, to grow, to expand and thus stimulate our economy. Maybe.

But there is a dark and insidious side to discontentment, and we need to shed light on it lest it destroy us. Consider this familiar scene:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:1-6)

The first thing the serpent did was to call into the question the goodness of God and his provision for Adam and Eve. It’s the oldest trick in the book, literally. Never mind that God had created an entire heavenly playground just for them, he was still mean. He was keeping something from them. He was withholding. Why would God do that? Didn’t he want them to be happy? Why would he keep such a beautiful tree from people he claimed to love?

At the heart of this Satanic attack on God’s character was also an attack on the nature of his provision for Adam and Eve. Satan attacked their contentment. Now get this: Satan lured these first two humans by tempting them to take their eyes off of what God had given them and to focus on what he hadn’t. That’s the root of discontentment. You stop focusing on what God has done and start looking at what he hasn’t done (or, at what you think he hasn’t done). And when you do, when you start longing for what you don’t have, you run the risk of losing everything.

It’s this age-old temptation that causes a man or woman to betray his or her spouse and have an affair. It’s this same temptation that entices couples to uproot from family, friends, church and community and move across the country, all in the name of making more money. And, it’s this same lie of the devil that leads men and women to work a ridiculous number of hours a week in the pursuit of something that, once they get it, only sets them up to want something else. It never ends. Satisfaction never comes.

When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, not only did they not get what Satan promised (remember, all he does is lie), they lost what they had. They lost the Garden and their unique status with God—all in the name of having more.

So, what have you lost, or what do you risk losing, in the name of getting that next thing? Have you bought the lie that it’s not what you have, but what you don’t have, that will really satisfy you? Discontentedness calls into question the very character and provision of God. It’s basically open rebellion before God. Don’t fall for it. If you do, not only will you have more, you’ll lose what you have.

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