Whatever

​Image by Rosy / Bad Homburg / Germany from Pixabay

Finally, brothers and sisters,

​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

My former understanding of this verse: 
The goal or purpose of thinking these things is to please God.  Thoughts of this nature will influence my behaviors, and I want my behaviors to be pleasing to God. 

This understanding sets God as external, something separate from me. Someone who has certain expectations of me, and is watching and evaluating my actions (and their motives) to see if they are - if I am - acceptable. If they are, I will be blessed. If not, I will be punished.

The goal of this verse is to attain an external outcome - the blessing of God. (Of course, the blessings I might expect to receive are usually external as well, but that’s a whole other post.)

My new understanding:
First, I do believe that what we think, or meditate, on matters, that it influences our behaviors. But this verse is more than a checklist or a formula for us to get something (eg: God’s blessings). It’s not about an outcome, but about the kind of reality we want to live in.

Whatever we think about, the things we meditate on, will become beliefs. Our beliefs become the lens through which we interpret all of our experiences; they are reflected in our reality. 

If you believe the world is a cold, scary place full of lack, that’s the kind of world you will experience. Your brain will be looking for all the scary things, and latch on to the scarcity it finds in the world. As a result of what you observe, your behaviors will follow suit. You may take measures to protect yourself. You may find yourself stockpiling or hoarding things for fear of running out. You may view strangers as potential threats to your well-being, causing you to limit interactions with people. These types of behaviors, based on your thoughts about the world, create the kind of world you dwell about.

If you think the world is a warm, safe, abundant place, you will find yourself looking for the helpers, and the abundance in the world will become apparent to you. You will look for opportunities to be a helper, and for ways to provide for others in need out of your own abundance - whether that be an abundance of money, time, resources, or skills. These behaviors will attract these kinds of experiences and abundance into your world.

Our thoughts create our reality.

I think Paul understood this concept. I believe he is encouraging us in this verse to think these kinds of thoughts so that we might experience a reality that reflects truth and authenticity, that looks for the best, the beautiful, and the praiseworthy. He’s coaching us in how to actually experience the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

How this shift in my thinking has impacted me:
I no longer feel guilt or shame around my thoughts that don’t fit into any of these categories. I simply ask myself if that is the kind of world I want to experience, and adjust my thinking as needed.

I no longer live in fear that I will not measure up, or that God’s blessings (or presence) might be removed from me. Understanding that the only ‘punishment’ I will receive from stray thoughts is bringing those thoughts into my reality. If that happens, I can choose to think a different thought - one that is more aligned with the thoughts Paul talks about in this verse.

Coming back to what I already knew.
When I was little, I had a very favorable view of the world, so I experienced good things in my young life. But I was told to take off my “rose-colored glasses,” that that wasn’t what the ‘real’ world was like, and I’d be better off seeing the world for what it is. So I did. I accepted the thought that said the world was a harsh, cruel place, and that thought became my belief; I started to see and experience the world this way. And I grew fearful - fearful of harm, of lack, of punishment, even of people.

With the understanding I have now about the relationship between my thoughts and my reality, I realize that what they called rose-colored glasses was the collection of my thoughts, and the beliefs that I formed from them, that caused me to see the good in the world, and in people.

I like my rose-colored glasses, doggonit, and I am happy to view the world through a kinder, more loving lens once again. And thinking about what is true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—seeing the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse—is a much kinder world to live in, don’t you think?