The Lovely Challenge

"whatever is true,

whatever is noble,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable

- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -

think about such things."

Philippians 4:8

i consistently get caught up in negative thoughts. 

if someone cuts me off on the highway, my first reaction is to mutter, "what an idiot!!!" 

or if i stub my toe or hit my head on a cupboard door, i automatically say, "that was stupid!" 

if my boss belittles me at work, my inclination is to roll my eyes and get ridiculously angry, wishing i could quit my job. 

or if i see a story online about some celebrity doing something embarrassing, i often want to read that article.

why do i do that? why does my mind dwell on the ugly things? why do i react so quickly in anger and irritation?

the Bible commands us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy... God KNOWS that we tend to dwell on the false, on the dishonorable, on the wrong, on the impure, on the ugly, on the deplorable, on the inferior, and on the shameful. so He told us how to change our thinking. 

so today, i am challenging myself to think about the good stuff. this is NOT the same as 'positive thinking'. it doesn't mean i just think happy thoughts and push away the bad. that's not realistic OR right. 

it means that when someone cuts me off on the highway, i do acknowledge that it was wrong, but i don't yell something bad at them, and maybe instead, i make a mental note to be careful how I, MYSELF, am driving to be sure that i don't do the same thing to others. 

or when i hit my head, a simple "ouch" will do. no need to insult myself.

when i see a shameful-sounding story online, it means that i should probably skip it. it's not important, pure, OR praiseworthy to waste my time on it.

and the most difficult one, when my boss says something in a rude way at work, i should respond respectfully, and remember Colossians 3:23, which says, "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." i can still go to my boss and tell him that what he does offends me, but the rage and the disrespect are NOT to be part of my reaction.

i'm calling it "The Lovely Challenge" and i know it will be a big challenge for me. please won't you join me in challenging yourself to think on what God would have us think?

captivated by God's work

the wind and the clouds and the blue in the sky
the sun and the moon and the stars so high
the sand on the shore and the waves in the sea
the air in my lungs and the way You made me

the blood in my veins and my heart You invade
the plants how they grow and the trees and their shade
the way that i feel and the love in my soul
i thank You, my God, for letting me know

lyrics to song: Captivated, by Shawn McDonald

lovejoy

last week, the little comet called Lovejoy disappeared into the atmosphere of the sun, and astronomers fully expected it to be destroyed by the sun's great heat. but amazingly, it survived and emerged on the other side!
in the last couple of days leading up to Christmas, the comet, with its new tail, has been visible from our space station and from an observatory in Chile. the commander of the international space station said it was "the most amazing thing i've ever seen in space!" and that's something coming from an astronaut!
it made me think about the original Christmas story. Jesus came to our broken earth, He "wrapped our injured flesh around [Himself]" (MW Smith), He ate our food and healed our sickness...
then He chose to allow evil's heat to consume Him in death, a terrible death on the cross. He entered the burning heat of the sun.
and when all was lost, when He was laid in the grave, when darkness had fallen, when the disciples had given up hope and were overcome with grief, He came out on the other side of Hell's heat!!! He rose from the dead! He took the 'tail' of our sins to the grave and left them there! and when He appeared again, His new 'tail' was the gift of salvation to us!!! it shines in the night sky for all to see. no matter who you are, or where you come from, you can look to the sky and follow His light.
don't wait! just as comets are only visible for a period of time, so your chance to follow Jesus is limited. He WILL come again to judge the living and the dead, and He will come unexpectedly.
the time to accept Him is NOW!