Cultivating the culture of contentment

A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment – Proverb

“The thing is most of us are never satisfied. We’re too busy running after the things that we believe will fulfill us and forget that which we already have. You’ve got to be happy with what you have”. These wise words were spoken to me by a taxi driver as he drove me home from my friend’s house. Lately, some of the most thought-provoking discussions on life, love, faith and everything in between tend to happen in taxis, so this encounter was no exception. It was a late, cold and wet night however and besides being exhausted, the only thing I longed for was the comfort of my bed. I do not remember what prompted our conversation, but the topic of contentment triggered a deep and meaningful exchange that felt like it lasted longer than the 10 minutes journey ride home.

Stay rooted in love

“…rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” – Colossians 2:7

Isn’t it funny how time just keeps ticking on and the days go by sometimes unnoticed and before you know it a whole year has come and gone? Many dreams were accomplished, some unrealised and others still yet to be thought of. Numerous people encountered forming some of the deepest friendships that turn strangers into family, some broken relationships, while other acquaintances bind us to souls that seem all too familiar, like we’ve known them for a lifetime. Countless inner battles fought, insecurities shattered and fears conquered. Tears, uncontrollable laughter, mixed emotions, a bucket full of confusion and multiple questions left unanswered defined the seasons passed.  It’s safe to say that a lot has happened in my life over the past 3 years since I took a break from blogging but one thing that has remained steadfast and unchanging is my faith, an albeit fragile faith that has persevered in growth through some of the harshest seasons.

GUESTBLOG: What to do in the meantime?

 Recently, I find myself in a place where the predominant question that surrounds my spiritual life is “What do I do in the meantime?” When we read Psalm 27, an amazing Psalm by David that asks to ‘dwell in the house of the Lord’ (Psalm 27:4), the Psalm closes with perhaps one of the hardest activities to do as a Christian: ‘wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord’ (Psalm 27:14). 

In a post-modern world, waiting is something that is often unfamiliar to us as we become impatient at the traffic lights, especially when they are red and we even opt to use ready meals as opposed to enjoying the long process of preparing a meal. It becomes clear when we study how we operate in the 21^st Century the trait of patience and waiting appears to be scarce.

GUESTBLOG: Are Our Bodies Really That Important?

Our bodies are made up of millions of cells, hundreds of bones and muscles, over a
mile worth of nerves, arteries and veins but amazingly they are each working in unison every
second of every day to keep us alive. Something that we hardly take time to think about. It is
so often the case that when we forget about the work that something or somebody is
doing we don't appreciate it nearly as much as we ought to. Our bodies are not only
amazing they are the 'cherry on the top' of God's intricate plan of creation. The
account in Genesis 1+2 reaffirms this.

Humanity had a deeply spiritually problem that God met in a deeply physical fashion- Tyler Huckabee

Journey to the cross…

This week marks holy week, it commemorates one of the most poignant weeks for Christians, as we remember and follow the journey to the cross and celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday. The event that brings to mind so much about Jesus’ suffering as he was betrayed, arrested, wrongly accused, rejected, beaten, tortured and died for the cause which he did not commit; but all for love. A story which is made all the more scandalous when Jesus conquers death and resurrects three days later, as he had previously preached about (yet it was a shock even to his disciples who had followed him for 3 whole years).

‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. that who so ever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.' - john 3:16

Music Monday: H-A-P-P-Y

There’s a song that’s been in my head for months now. A song that instantly makes me want to get up and boogie like it’s the 90’s and do it fearlessly like no one is watching. As soon as the beat drops, and drums starts beating- I’m caught. Whatever I am doing, no matter how miserable the day may have been, this song just somehow seems to bring a raw energy of Joy into my life. It truly does brighten up the mood of the day at that given moment, just like the bright yellow used in the background of the single cover photo with the word HAPPY carefully placed right at the middle. Its simplicity, repetitiveness, catchiness and the inevitable invitation to join in is what wins this song the second music Monday award on the blog.

“Happiness does not come from without, it comes from within” ― Helen Keller

A new dawn, a new season…

Well, this is long overdue. I’ve been in the hiding folks, a much needed and anticipated one. I know what I did was sneaky there, and tactical. I just dropped a blog and disappeared for a whole month, no explanation or nothing. How dare me? But on a serious note, I’ve been re-evaluating the real purpose of this blog. And I know, I know… I always tend to speak of the exiting plans I have for this platform but never care to continue it or give it time to flourish. The time has come. As you may have already noticed, this New Year has brought forth a new look for the blog. [The old one was seriously beginning to grate on me, and thus genuinely prevented me from writing] It’s funny isn’t it, how a little change of appearance can inspire a new found confidence to want to do what we love to do the most. This emphasis reminds me of one of my favourite quotes (YES, dem quotes ain’t goin’ nowhere peeps) by the amazing & brilliant Maya Angelou;

'If you don't like something, change it.
If you can't change it, change your attitude.