Carolyn, family members and friends: From a
physical point of view, Arnie was not strong. Polio came to Arnie at the age of
17, and it led to Arnie spending time in an iron lung. Polio weakened his body
and made him vulnerable.
In
due time, God’s grace and modern medicine combined together led to Arnie’s
recovery so that he could resume a somewhat normal life.
Polio’s after-affects interrupted Arnie’s ability to
walk and breathe comfortably. He ended up in a wheelchair and became more and
more dependent upon his loved ones. No, even though the doctors and many others
may have expressed surprise that Arnie lived this long, I don’t think that you
can say that Arnie was physically very strong.
And yet, from another point of view,
Arnie was as tough as nails. In fact, he displayed a steely, iron strength. And
that strength was Arnie’s secret. I remember meeting Arnie for the first time
about 18 months ago. I had begun my work at Calvary Church as their new pastor;
so I was the new kid on the block, ready to get acquainted with this man called
“Arnie.”
It did not take a genius to know that
his body was causing him all kinds of trouble. The way he was sitting in his
chair, the way he shook hands with you, the way he had to negotiate his body to
breathe, to sit as comfortably as possible—all these ways spoke of pain and
discomfort.
But Arnie’s spirit told me another
story. His smile, his interest in me as a new pastor at Calvary, and his
enthusiasm for life, his family, and the church—all spoke of an inner strength
that pushed his physical problems to the background.
Spending time with Arnold was not a
burden but a pleasure. For Arnie had a secret. He knew the secret of
contentment.
Here’s how I, as pastor, observed the signs of Arnie’s secret of
contentment:
·
Arnie
dealt with his physical problems while surrendering himself to the Lord our
God. He made the best of his illness by seeing his illness in light of God’s
purposes and sovereignty. He may not have understood the reasons for his
afflictions, but he learned to rest in God’s rule and incomprehensible purpose
for him.
Arnie did not turn his physical struggles into a
weapon to fight the Lord. Bitterness and resentment were not part of Arnie’s
arsenal of daily living. Rather, Arnie learned to rest, to trust, to rely upon
God’s mysterious ways for him. Arnie put his secret of contentment to work by
practicing gratitude—a thankful attitude for the God of life. He put his trust
in the Lord.
·
Another
sign of Arnie’s secret strength of contentment showed itself in his sense of
humor. He laughed a lot, I noticed. He found joy in the midst of his trouble. I
think that’s why people felt drawn to him. He loved life and he found joy in
it.
And along with that joy, Arnie displayed a sense of
optimism, of hope. That hope was firmly grounded in Arnie’s faith that informed
him that God would make all things new. For Arnie believed the Scriptures and
the good news in Christ Jesus. At the core of Arnie’s life was the firm
conviction that the ongoing work of Jesus Christ would lead to the renewal of
all things. “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again,”
was not a hollow acclamation for Arnie. Rather, that summary teaching of
Christ’s work made up the steely fibers of Arnie’s faith—a faith that led him
to discover (and live out of) the secret of contentment.
·
There’s
one more sign of Arnie’s secret that I observed. It was his sense of dignity.
Especially in these last few months of his life, Arnie became more and more
dependent upon others. It is not easy to have others do for you the things that
belong to personal, intimate self-care. Perhaps, his illness all these years
forced Arnie to yield to the care of others for him. But he never lost his
sense of dignity. Why not? Because he learned the secret of contentment.
How do I know? In preparing for his
funeral service, Arnie left us with a number of instructions. This is what
Arnie wrote to me in particular:
“Paul talked about his thorn in
the flesh. While we don’t know what it was I believe each of us has a thorn and
mine was having polio. But this taught me a valuable lesson to count my
blessings every day for the things God allowed me to do and to be content.” Arnie
wrote this also for your benefit, for he suggested that I should speak to you
today on the topic of “being content in whatever your state in life.”
Where did Arnie find this secret of
contentment? Well, to be sure, he discovered the secret in the “school of hard
knocks, the school of life.” But he learned about this secret from the apostle
Paul. For it was Paul who wrote to the church in Philippi these words: (Phil.
4:11b-13) “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I
know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have
learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…I can do
everything through him who gives me strength.”
Let me make a few observations about
this secret of contentment:
The essence of the secret of contentment is strength: strength
to face adversity, whether that is hunger, sickness, persecution, or general
hardships in life. Contentment is not a weakness, but an iron strength to go
through life and face the hard knocks with a resolve that says: “I can do
all things through him who gives me strength.” A quiet, steely strength
is the essence of the secret of contentment.
The nature of the secret of contentment—the nature of that
strength found in contentment—consists of identity, purpose and promise. For
example, knowing who I am, knowing that I belong to Christ Jesus—no matter what
the circumstances are or may be—gives me strength. My identity is hidden or
found in Jesus Christ. All believers in Christ belong to him. And find their
strength in him.
The nature of the secret of
contentment also consists of purpose and promise. Since the risen, ascended
Lord Jesus Christ is sovereign ruler over all, our lives have purpose. It
matters how we live, and what we do, and how we go through life. For in all
circumstances of life, we have the opportunity to advance the influence or rule
of King Jesus. And with that purpose comes also the promise of renewal: Already
today, Jesus is at work to make all things new; and he will establish and
realize his kingdom when he comes again. “Christ has died; Christ is
risen; Christ will come again.”
One final observation about the secret
of contentment: it goes to the heart of Arnie’s secret. The source of the secret of contentment
is Jesus Christ. Paul refers to Jesus when he says: “I can do everything
through him who gives me strength.”
The secret of contentment is something you do not discover by reading a treasure map or some kind of obscure book. You learn, you discover the secret of contentment in the midst of life and in relationship to Jesus Christ. For Jesus is the source of that secret strength that is ours through faith in him.
Elsewhere in Scripture, apostle Paul
says: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Why? Because Christ
gives us strength or grace when we are powerless, helpless, vulnerable.
This is a time for grace: we need
strength to lay to rest the body of your husband, father, friend. We need
encouragement to face our own mortality, and frailty. As Arnie wrote: each one
of us has a thorn in the flesh.
We need hope to face tomorrow. And as
pilgrims of faith we need a steady resolve to work toward the day when God
shall make all things new. I pray that each one of us may learn the secret of
contentment. It’s found in Jesus Christ, who takes us by the hand and who will
lead us into the promised land—life eternal, lived on the renewed creation,
with God in our midst.
In
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.