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EXERCISE FOUR
Areas of Human Endeavor
A Study in Contentment
by Ron Wilkins
We know that when Paul spoke of learning to be content in every state he was in, he was not talking about the states, countries or places he visited. We know that he had amazing insight into the status of man.
There are five areas of human endeavor that have a great deal to do with our well being. Everything a person does falls into one of these five areas. When a baby takes it’s first breath in the birthing process it enters what is known as the survival state. Once entered, it will never leave that state until life is over. Next the baby is placed in the arms of it’s mother or someone else who is taking the place of the mother. This is when the newborn enters the bonding or acceptance state. Like the first step, once entered, it never leaves until life leaves the body. Over time, the acceptance state expands to include things like, acceptance to parents, to siblings, to friends, to work associates and relatives; as well as self-acceptance and a relationship with God.
When the mother introduces the newborn to a dry bottom, soothing sounds, things to taste and the comfort of a warm bed, the baby enters the pleasure state, and like the others, once in, always in. It doesn’t take the newborn long to learn they have a great deal of power. If they cry, someone comes to change the diaper, fill the tummy or stay and play. Like the others, this state grows and expands over time. The last state that is entered soon after birth is the freedom state. The freedom goes from crawling to walking. The freedom to take the training wheels off the bike, to have a room, a phone, education, transportation and a job are all part of the area of human endeavor known as freedom. No doubt Paul was speaking of learning to be content in all five of these areas when he penned his words to the church at Philippi.
A casual glance at 2 Corinthians, the eleventh chapter, will leave no doubt that Paul was not talking about stress free, pain free, or even depression free conditions. If Paul was not free of stress, depression, or emotional pain, then what could he have been talking about being content in every state? How could he experience such stressful things, painful things, and even things that were depressing and still be content? And, if he could do it, can we? These are good questions that deserve learning process answers for those who ask, seek and knock.
In the absence of the written word, the Holy Spirit taught Paul and the other apostles to process all forms of emotional pain in all five areas of human endeavor. We can learn from them how to do it too. If we learn from them how to process emotional pain in all five areas of human endeavor we can have “Every State Contentment” just like they did. We will not have lives free of stress, or things that are depressing, or even hurtful things; but we will learn how to be content in all five states of endeavor by learning how to take emotional pain away by properly processing it.
Learning to properly process emotional pain involves learning to discover which area or areas are not being processed properly. Those are the areas of human endeavor that are most likely to be problem areas that allow emotional pain buildup. The average person, in or out of the church environment, is strong in one or two areas of human endeavor, and weak in at least one or more areas. In the areas that are strong and undamaged emotional pain is easily removed by the use of highly developed coping skills that have long been in place and well used. When pain occurs in our strong areas it is easily removed in much the same way as rain on the windshield. But if there is an area of human endeavor where the skills are not in place, it will be much the same as it would be if the windshield wiper did not work.
If a child experiences emotional pain in one or more areas that is too intense, too frequent or too prolonged for it’s skill level, damage in that area will occur. If the emotional pain in one area becomes a drastic overload that is beyond the processing skill level, the developing child will loose confidence in the very skills that could remove the pain. If the pain cannot be removed, sooner or later some form of much needed escape will be developed. No one, including the most faithful Christian, can endure the buildup of emotional pain that won’t go away without creating the need to get away from it, even if it is costly or only temporary. Individuals frequently attempt to cope with unacceptable conditions by using unacceptable behaviors. They will attempt to deny the behavior, apply the window dressing of acceptability, or completely closet the behavior.
This condition is common but it doesn’t have to stay that way. The gossipers attempt to make their escape acceptable while condemning those that abuse anger, smoking or prescription drugs. Those who are entangled in the escape behavior of food attempt the same respectability while condemning those trapped in gossiping. The real need if for all involved, no matter what the escape behavior may be, to learn from the Bible how to properly take the pain away and help others in the process.
Everyone who seeks “Every State Contentment” enough to ask for it and knock on the door of opportunity will look into all five areas of their human endeavor. They will become familiar with the areas in which they are strong and they will have the courage to discover the areas where they have been consistently hurt beyond their skill level to process. It is not to be a blame search, for that is never productive, but it is important to know the area or areas where the buildup of emotional pain is likely to cause a problem.
An individual who has had extensive damage in the area or acceptance can be expected to have a problem with relationships. If the damage is in the area of power, they may become controlling or overbearing. If their area of survival was damaged they may become dangerously passive or have the problem of hoarding money. If the damage is in the area of pleasure they may find themselves wrestling with a sexual escape, food or tobacco. If it involves the area of freedom they may have a problem with uncontrolled anger, gossip or problems in the workplace.
Satan has long used damage to one or more areas of human endeavor to create the need to escape from unprocessed emotional pain so that “Every State Contentment” could be firmly blocked. This condition is not only common, it is epidemic. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. We can learn through the /bible to be content in all five areas of human endeavor. We can learn “Every State Contentment” by learning to process stress, depression and other hurtful things in all areas of human endeavor. We can process the pain of the past as well as the pain that occurs on a daily basis. We can prepare ourselves to process the pain that is sure to come in all of the tomorrows that God allows us to have.
ASSIGNMENT
Draw five quarter size circles and label them Survival, Acceptance, Pleasure, Power and Freedom. Shade in the circles like they were full, half full, or almost empty with fluid to represent your strengths and weaknesses. Buy this process determine the strongest and weakest area. Avoid attempting to process pain in the weak area until your skill level is raised through the learning process and prayer.
QUESTIONS
1. What is your strongest area and why do you believe it to be the strongest?
2. What is your weakest area and why do you believe it to be the weakest?
TRUE or FALSE
1. Once a newborn enters an area of human endeavor they will never leave it until life is over.
2. Contentment can not be had under stress, depression, or emotional pain.
ANSWERS FOR EXERCISE THREE
1. Walk Circumspectly
2. It isn’t being taught.
3. If it gets too far ahead of our ability to process.
4. They are not willing to do the work required to apply it.
5. In Jesus statement, “learn of me.”
True or false: 1. (F), 2. (T), 3. (T), 4. (F)
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