The Secret of Contentment

I’m reading through The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley with another man in our church. It has been recommended to me many times over the years and I am so glad that I’m finally taking the time to read it. Fantastic book and I recommend it to all men.

Here is a short excerpt that I really liked. It hits the issue of contentment which is something many guys struggle with in our culture. Chariots of Fire is my favorite movie so it made me want to share it.

Chariots of Fire, the fact-based, Oscar-winning movie, depicts the quest of Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell to win gold medals in the 1924 Olympics, a feat they both accomplished.

The difference between Abrahams and Liddell is transparent: Everything Abrahams did was for himself, while everything Liddell did was for the glory of God.

Eric’s sister Jennie mistook her brother’s love of running for rebellion against God, and pressed him to return to the mission field in China, where they both were born and their parents lived. One day his sister was upset because he had missed a mission meeting, so Eric decided to have a talk with her. They walked to a grassy spot overlooking the Scottish highlands.

Clutching her arms, trying to explain his calling to run, he said, “Jennie, Jennie. You’ve got to understand. I believe God made me for a purpose–for China. But He also made me fast!–and when I run, I feel His pleasure!”

That is in sharp contrast to a scene later in the movie, one hour before the final race of Harold Abrahams. While his trainer gave him a rubdown, he lamented to his best friend, “I’m twenty-four and I’ve never known contentment. I’m forever in pursuit, and I don’t even know what it is I’m chasing.”

Both men won a gold medal, but one won his medal for himself, while the other won his medal for God. Do you feel God’s pleasure in what you do or, like Abrahams, does contentment elude you?

At the end of the chapter Morley asks: “What is your ambition? Will it survive your physical death? Will it pass the Luke 14:33 test?” Luke 14:33: “In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions.” That verse isn’t a command for a vow of poverty but it is serious challenge to who or what we serve. You can’t serve God and serve your own ambitions.

I hope this is something you can chew on and again, I encourage you to check out Morley’s book and consider going through it with a friend.