Just Breathe

“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praise-worthy, meditate on these things.”                                 – Philippians 4:8

True.  Noble.  Just.  Pure.  Lovely.  Of Good Report.  Virtue.  Praise-worthy.

Most of us are incredibly familiar with this passage.  Most of us (myself absolutely included) do not implement it nearly as often as we should.  However, I am not convinced that this is, at least for myself, primarily intentionally done.  Or not done.  I oftentimes fail to translate this particular passage into practical terms.  Does it mean restricting yourself to watching only PG movies, only reading books with Christian themes, spending 3 hours each day reading the Bible, and going to Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening services at church?  I beg to differ.

Yes, all of the above things are good and fit the “requirements” of Paul’s words in Philippians.  However, I do not think that is the spirit of Paul’s message, or God’s message, for that matter.  I do not think this a list of “don’ts.”  Rather, I believe it is a list of “do’s.”

Paul was pushing us on toward goodness, toward God.  I don’t think that the passage is an all-inclusive list of what our conduct or thoughts should resemble.  Instead, I think that it was inspiring us with a direction in which to travel.

Not only are these qualities simply good ones upon which to meditate, they are part of God’s character.  He IS truth.  He Is noble.  He IS just.  He IS pure.  He IS virtuous.  He IS worthy of praise.  And so on.  Paul’s exhortation was not simply to meditate on those specific qualities.  For instance, truth, justice, and virtue all stem from God.  Therefore, if we meditate upon them, if we seek them out, we will be directly led back to the heart of God.

So what is Paul saying?  He is saying that God’s desire for us is that we would meditate upon Him, upon His GOODNESS.

His GOODNESS is life-transforming.  It is world-transforming.  It is the stark contrast to the depravity of humanity.

Practically speaking…

Our very nature is to seek to prove ourselves, to show that we are able-bodied, intelligent individuals who can handle everything on our own.  That’s called pride.  Often, it is disguised as the phrase “self-worth.”  One of the most difficult things in life is to maintain the balance of God’s prominence versus our own.  He has infinite greatness.  We do not.  We, without Him, are miserable, fallen creatures.

Here’s the incredible thing:  focusing on the GOODNESS of God helps to keep God in His place – right smack in the middle of our world.  It keeps Him from getting put on the back burner and being pushed out of our lives by something as simple as being busy.  If we are continually aware of His GOODNESS, it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore Him or forget to take  notice of Him.

Here’s where it gets radical.  Voskamp, in her book One Thousand Gifts, says this

It is courageous to meditate on the goodness of God!  It is world-transforming.

As I continue working on my list of 1,000 things that I’m grateful for, God’s GOODNESS is continually put before me.  Granted, I am nowhere near perfect in recognizing God’s blessings and remembering to write them down, but I am learning.  Slowly, but still learning.  Each day is a gift; I can only hope to discover a fraction of the blessings that God infuses in each one.

I’m up to number fourteen on my list.  Have you started your own yet?

*Voskamp, Ann.  One Thousand Gifts.  (Zondervan, 2010), 58.