Complacent or Content?
Am I becoming complacent? I started asking myself after reading Proverbs 1:32-33.
“For the turning away of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live securely and be free from the fear of danger.” Holman Translation
King James and most other translations use the word “simple” instead of “inexperienced”. But then the Passion Translation lays it out very clearly.
“Like an idiot you have turned away from me and chosen destruction instead. Your self-satisfied smugness will kill you. But the one who always listens to me will live undisturbed in a heavenly peace. Free from fear, confident and courageous, that one will rest unafraid and sheltered from the storms of life.”
Wow! That contrast bears more consideration. How do I define complacency?
Complacency – “a feeling of self-satisfaction or being overly comfortable with one’s circumstances, often resulting in a lack of awareness, concern, effort, or desire for improvement.”
Put more simply: Complacency is becoming so comfortable with where you are that you no longer recognize the need to grow, change, or improve. One begins to take things for granted.
What is the difference between complacency and contentment?
The Apostle Paul instructed us in Philippians 4:11-12 to be content: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound…”
Contentment is good but there is a significant difference. Contentment means appreciating what you have. Complacency means becoming so comfortable that you stop trying to be any better. Contentment appreciates where you are; complacency becomes comfortable staying there.
You can be grateful for where God has brought you while still being diligent about where He is leading you. Complacency can be dangerous because it doesn’t always look like laziness. Sometimes it looks like being comfortable, satisfied, or simply going through the motions.
Time for some self-reflection here.
Comfort can lead me to contentment without growth and then loss of interest about things that once mattered. Then I begin to neglect important things and eventually reach a point where I no longer care enough to take action. I can become so comfortable with where I am that I lose sight of where I could be. This applies to my faith, relationships, personal growth, and everyday responsibilities.
A different approach is available. I can be content with my blessings while still striving to grow. As I recognize the need for personal growth and change, that awareness brings me to a conscious decision to develop further by taking consistent, purposeful action.
What about you? Are you becoming complacent in your relationship with God or your personal growth? Complacent or content?
