Content or Complacent?

Content or Complacent?

Have you ever heard a friend or coworker recount a recent accomplishment that required real dedication and discipline and you were inspired? I could lose those last ten pounds. I could run a marathon. I could save my money and pay off my mortgage. For about 20 minutes. Then did you find yourself getting honest? But I won’t. I once saw a sign at a craft booth that said, “Sure, you could do it yourself, but will you?” I thought it was clever for its honesty. No, I won’t. So I’ll buy yours. And no price is too high for your creativity and discipline so I don’t have to test mine.

What is it that makes some people able to forge ahead and achieve their goals and some of us keep dreaming about them? I have a theory: we only change when our present circumstances are more uncomfortable than the effort it will take to alter them. Case in point: I was having some back issues recently so I began to visit my friendly neighborhood chiropractor. She suggested exercises, physical therapy, some x-rays and so on. I was faithful and compliant to the letter. Why? Because I was in pain and was willing to do whatever I was told to remove my pain. Pain is motivating. But as I’ve experienced some relief recently and my visits are over, the doctor has warned me to keep doing what we started as a preventive measure for the future. That will be harder. (But she’s reading this now, so of course I will be proactive in my vertebral health!)

But what about when the pain is gone? Why do we floss feverishly before a visit to the dentist but find it harder to maintain the habit for the next six months? Why do we work hard at relationships that are filled with conflict but tend to take for granted the ones that mean the most? Why is it easier to get to the gym and eat healthier food when we can’t fit into our favorite clothes? Because pain is motivating and comfort is king.

God knows this about us. He knew that the Israelites in the desert would cling to Him as long as they were wandering in the desert and depending on Him for their very sustenance and safety. He provided their food and water and protection when they cried out to Him. And as Moses neared the end of his tenure as desert leader (and of his life), God’s message to His people was a warning against complacency when the difficult nomadic life would turn into stability.

“¹³ So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul – ¹⁴ then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. ¹⁵ I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 

¹⁶ Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.”     (Deuteronomy 11:13-16)

Deuteronomy is filled with the phrases “be careful” and “remember”. Why would God tell His people so often to be careful and to remember unless He was quite sure that they would be careless and forgetful? And why? Because they would no longer be motivated by pain, but would be experiencing physical comfort. Look at the pattern described in this passage:

1.     The people obey God. (verse 13)

2.     God blesses the people. (verses 14-15)

3.     The people turn away from God. (verse 16)

Sound familiar? When there is relational conflict or illness or financial panic, I run to God quite naturally. I find comfort in His Word and in His Presence when I’m sad or scared or uncertain. Desperation leads me – no, forces me to cling to Him. And that is a legitimate season. But when that season has passed and I experience healing, feeling His Presence in a lighter, more peripheral way, my spirits soar. For a while. Then I begin to doubt the authenticity of the relationship or my commitment to following Christ. Where is the desperation? Where is the longing? Is this feeling of contentment good for me? Will it last? What will the next trauma be?

Life, both physical and spiritual, comes in cycles. You may have noticed that. Like the meteorological seasons, life has growing times and dormant times. And if you’ve experienced both, you probably recognize that while you’re in the midst of one you can count on it changing at some point so you’ll experience the other. So how can we enjoy and take advantage of a growing season without becoming complacent and turning away from God? Part of the answer is found just a couple of verses after God’s warning.

¹⁸ Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 11:18-19)

How do we keep our Sunday afternoon drive from straying out of the contented neighborhood and veering into complacency? By making God’s thoughts and desires so natural in our everyday life that we can have confidence in His Presence regardless of our emotional mood or temporary circumstances. Know God’s Word in our heads and value it in our hearts. Talk about God’s activity in our lives with our family and friends. Incorporate our Father into every aspect of our being.

Easier said than done, right? Of course. Because when I am desperate and in pain, I will do whatever I can to get out of that place. I will quit bad activities and leave unhealthy relationships when I have no other option. When I’ve hurt someone or lost enough money or feel enough physical pain, then I will change. But when that’s not the case, the carnal nature in me wants to do what I want to do, and it’s harder to see the potential damage in the consequences. If I turn away from God, as the passage in Deuteronomy warns will happen, it becomes increasingly difficult to hear the quiet wisdom of God’s Spirit guiding me into life. Instead, I choose to go back into the grave from which Christ raised me. Life to the full? No, thank you. I’ll choose death. It feels really pleasant right now. And I don’t want to feel guilty about it.

The flip side of this dilemma is that we can’t enjoy the season of grace and blessing that God gives us. We try to make it harder than it is. Am I missing something? Why is this so easy? What should I be doing for God so I can feel more challenged in my spirituality? What tragedy is around the corner? I used to do this when my husband and I were dating. We lived in different cities so our monthly visits were always over too quickly. But instead of enjoying every minute together, I would start whining on the last day about how much I would miss him and ruin part of the little time we did have together! Now I find myself tempted to do the same with God! I am still negatively affecting my enjoyment of a lovely relationship that will naturally have its ups and downs, but within which I can take great pleasure and grow to be my very best self.

So whether our tendency is to wait for the other shoe to drop or drop our defenses and turn away from God, these words Moses passes along are as relevant to us as they were to the Israelites thousands of years ago. God wants our hearts. He wants our devotion. And He wants to bless us in the context of relationship. How will we respond?

•  Read Romans 6:11, Galatians 2:20 and Galatians 5:1. How do they shed light on the topic discussed in this lesson?

• How do you react to times of grace and contentment? Do you tend to turn away from God and find yourself in old patterns? Or do you have to remind yourself to enjoy the season and not focus on something bad that might happen soon?