Contentment

In 1954 Don Larson struggled through one of the worst seasons ever experienced by a pitcher. He won three games and lost twenty-one. Strangely enough, he was then traded to the best team in baseball at that time, the New York Yankees. Things got better for Don Larson. Two years later, he had a record of 11–5 and the team made it to the World Series. In game five Larson pitched perfectly; not one runner got to first base. Afterward Larson said, “It’s amazing…not long ago, I was a nobody, and now, everybody wants me.”

Contentment comes easily in times like these. Yet, we cannot look to winning seasons to find our happiness. The Apostle Paul explains that there is a secret to being content, and that secret is the strength of Jesus. Coaches experience times of plenty and times of scarcity in terms of the talent on their teams. We would like the times of plenty to be every year; but the reality is, it just doesn’t happen that way. Yet contentment is possible even in the lean years, because Christ is the strength of our lives.

Contentment is a vital element in our witness for Christ. How credible will our testimony be if we are only satisfied when things go our way? Contentment or discontentment with our situation in life reflects our faith and trust in Christ, because it is only through Him that we can be content in whatever circumstances (see Php 4:11).