Tension Between Ambition And Contentment?

Thank you for the feedback. Here is another question:

How do you reconcile the tension between ambition and contentment?

Good question.

The short answer is that there is no tension.

But the reason that it seems like there is tension is because people sometimes use those two words, ambition and contentment, to mean something good and sometimes to mean something not good.

Ambition as a virtue is gratefully living out your calling to the best of your ability. But ambition as a vice is grasping for things that you shouldn’t grasp for.

And contentment as a virtue is gratefully enjoying God, His gifts, and His story in your life. But contentment as a vice is laziness.

So, while there is no tension between ambition and contentment, there is tension between ambition and laziness. And there is tension between grasping and contentment.

How do you know if you’re pursuing the virtues and not the vices? My litmus test is to ask myself, Am I thankful?

Am I thankful for the gifts that I have (contentment) and am I thankful for the opportunity to pursue even more (ambition)?

What do you think?
Joseph