“I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. Still, you did well by sharing with me in my hardship.” ~ Philippians 4:12-14
“Thus the queen dwelt for a long time with the old man, and made the best of this turn of things…”[1]
On Tuesday, we left poor Vilfridr going to her death. But if we’ve learned nothing from Snow White, we know there is always someone who will save her…
Like our own story, the men sent with Vilfridr to kill her cannot do it, “for Vilfridr had gained everyone’s love and admiration.”[2] They thus kill a dog which had followed them, and substitute it for Raudr’s gruesome demands.
Vilfridr wanders in the forest, and happens upon a small house – very reminiscent of her finding the dwarves, isn’t it? She knocks at the door, and a man with “giant’s features” answers and welcomes her in. He feeds her and shelters her, and has her make children’s clothes.
Thus, as the quote says, she lives with the man a long time and is content. I know the text doesn’t use the word “content,” but what else could “made the best of this turn of things” mean?
The Contentment of our Snow Whites
We don’t dwell on Snow White’s contentment enough. If any story shows the rewards of a contented heart, it’s Snow White in her trials. Even more so, I think, for our Vilfridr. She has lost her children (presumably by eating them herself, although she cannot remember doing so), her husband, and her home. She has lost so much…and yet, she is content making clothes in a giant’s house.
Contentment is a rather uncomfortable word. It implies we’re comfortable with something we’d normally be uncomfortable with. Paul says that he is content “whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.” Those are uncomfortable extremes, and quite frankly we’d all prefer the latter of each. Hunger and need sit ill in our minds, and we literally work in order to avoid such things.
There is a certain amount of dissatisfaction attached to the word – and yet joy wins out over dissatisfaction if contentment is present.
The “How” of Contentment
Contentment is essential for the Christian life, and it must be found in Christ. The “how” of this is the tricky part, of course. To understand how, I think it’s helpful to highlight what discontentment implies.
As a Christian, to be discontent means denying God’s grace over a particular area of your life. You are telling Him that He is less fulfilling than what you desire. You are telling Him that He cannot possibly redeem a troubling situation. You are telling Him that you’d rather look to your circumstances for joy and happiness rather than Him.
Christ will give you contentment when you seek Him and His Kingdom, when you realize you cannot find peace and joy on your own or through your circumstances. We live in a fallen world, and if your hope is here then you shall be sorely disappointed. But if your hope is Christ, and if He is your focus, contentment will follow. It’s only then that we are “able to do all things through Him who strengthens” us.
I’ll be honest, I have a hate/love relationship with contentment. I’d rather God make everything perfect rather than seek contentment; but then I wouldn’t need faith in Him, would I?
Contentment is a difficult road, and yet it is essential. However, it is a road, with valleys and mountains, and must be treated as such. You may have to fight for contentment, just as Vilfridr surely had to do. Do you think it was easy making children’s clothes when you had lost three of your own? No, but she made the best of things. Like Paul and our lovely Vilfridr, we too can make the best of things. We only need keep our focus on Christ.
Sources
[1] Heiner, “The Story of Vilfridr-Fairer-Than-Vala,” Sleeping Beauties, 200.
[2] Ibid.
