Content

God calls us to a life of contentment in Him, and that can certainly impact our view toward our earthly relationships and possessions. In Hebrews 13, the writer addresses the fruit of our contentment:
4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Discontent can produce restlessness, which can drive a person to desire or even seek out what he or she does not have. We have to guard against selfish gratification and to be content in the Lord, the one who is our provider.  It's been said that God is not against us having things, but He is opposed to things having you. When we recognize His abundant love for us and realize He only wants the best for us, to His glory, it can radically change our focus.

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Paul, in his letter to Timothy, presents a passage in 1st Timothy 6 that can illustrate how we are to regard earthly possessions and display a heavenly attitude:
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Got a question for you on this Survey Thursday here in The Front Room:

“If you had to choose one of the following courses for your child’s life to take by the time they reach age 40, which would your prefer: happily married with children but just getting by financially, or financially well-off but single with no children in the household?”

That is the question that was asked of 1000 parents in a YouGov survey that was commissioned by a group called American Compass, according to an article at The Washington Examiner.

Financial freedom, no children OR no financial margin with a spouse and children.  Family or finances?  Of course, we're dealing with hypotheticals here, because it certainly isn't a binary choice.  But, it could be an indicator of the state of mind of Americans.

So, how would you answer? And, how did the respondents answer? Writer Conn Carroll states:

While a firm majority of parents surveyed (60%) chose “happily married with children,” a substantial minority (40%) chose “rich, single, and childless.”

Now maybe it is unfair to label the “rich, single, and childless” crowd barbarians, but a society in which 40% of the population prioritizes wealth over family is not a society that will survive for very long. There simply won’t be enough children for new generations to sustain it.

Another front in the survey had to do with education and career; how about this question?

"In thinking about the type of educational program that your could pursue, which would you prefer: one that offers the best possible career options but was far from home, or one that offers good career options close to home?" 

Survey says..."Just 56% chose 'good career, close to home,' while 44% chose 'best career, far from home.'"  And there seemed to be a relationship with financial well-being; the Examiner says:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the wealthiest parents chose “best career, far from home” while middle- and working-class parents both chose “good career, close to home.”

I think one of the storylines here is that people tended to choose family over finances, when given the binary, albeit unrealistic choice. And, I think that is something worth considering for Christians - we are called to trust in the Lord regardless of our financial state; and if we are blessed with a family, then we should regard them as a gift of God. 

The family is an institution established and ordained by God - man and woman come together in marriage, and they produce children; in so doing, they populate the earth, which helps to fulfill the command to have "dominion."  Marriages are not factories to produce kids, mind you, but through our devotion to building strong marriages and raising children according to God's Word, we have a profound influence on our culture. 

We should no doubt be content in whatever financial state that God calls us.  We can regard our possessions as His property, and can rejoice when He blesses us financially. But, even if we struggle, we can be content in Him, not complaining, but reliant on His provision.  That applies to other areas of our lives, as well - contentment over complaining.