40 Acts of Lent: day 37 - 'content'

Act thirty seven - Content by Paul the Apostle
Contentment isn't easy to achieve, for all of us. On bad days we feel like we've got nothing. On good days we feel like we have the world to share. Today's challenge is a personal reflection: how can you be generous in every situation? Spend time looking to God to fulfil your needs or thank him for what you already have.

"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, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength".

                                                                                                            Philippians 4:12–13 (NIV)

So what is the secret of being content? Actually, it's not really a secret at all. Here's what I've learned that allows me to be content whatever my circumstances:

1. Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

2. Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.

3. Fill your minds and meditate on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

So why not take a leaf out of my book? Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realised. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Today's blog was written by Paul the Apostle (paraphrased and directly quoted from Philippians 4:4–14 The Message).
Choose how to complete this act...

GREEN OPTION:
Thank God for five things you're grateful for today, as a starting point.

YELLOW OPTION:
Look at your lifestyle. What do you consume which alters how you look at your own life? Do you read lifestyle magazines; spend lots of time on social media? And, if you use social media to only put up the best pictures and moments of your life, why not show some imperfection today? Be real; be honest. It can inspire others to do the same.

RED OPTION:
If you really struggle to find contentment and find yourself looking in loads of different places for fulfilment, spend time with God working on that, today. Try to spend that time in quiet and stillness.