Think About THESE Things

It is my nature to approach life as a realist. Sometimes, given the conditions in which I find the world, being a realist might come off as being a tad bit negative. Ok, maybe I’m negative from time to time. True confession … when I realize that I’m being negative about a situation in life, I find it to be the thing about myself I wish I could change the most. The reason is because it goes against what I truly want to be … an inspiration … a positive influence on my little corner of the world. Why can I not be more positive … why can’t I have more faith? These are the questions I ask … and often.

From the outset, I do think some people are more prone toward negativity. The environment of the mind is subject to so many influencers: teachers, parents, friends, events, experiences, illnesses, chemical imbalances, youth leaders, coaches, depression and anxiety, churches, televangelists, bosses, siblings, and the list could continue. We are shaped by something or some things. 

My wife is way more positive than I am. She is not easily shaken.

Case in point. I came to bed one night and an immediate pain in the middle of the my chest developed and would not go away. Frantically, I sprang from our bed, thinking the worst. I paced the floors, I looked into the mirror at my snow-white complexion … I ran into the kitchen, heart racing out of my chest, and downed an aspirin. I knew I was having a heart attack. My wife, sitting up in bed now, tried to calmly suggest that I was having a panic attack and that I should sit still for a few moments and to take some deep breaths to calm down … nope, no way, no sir-ree, I was having a heart attack.

What I failed to say to this point is that my dad had a heart attack at a young age—so I was a little hyper-sensitive to that possibility. Since she was not moving quickly enough in my opinion, according to the state of my condition, I rushed into the kitchen once again, grabbed the phone and dialed 911. I told the dispatch, “I’m having a heart attack!!” In just 7 minutes, the paramedics arrived at my door, took my vitals, packed me up and took me to the hospital … with lights and sirens! 

You should have seen the look on her face when she got to the hospital with the kids and discovered I was indeed having a heart attack … deep shock and awe. She didn’t know. She never expected it. I really did feel badly for her as the reality of the situation began to come into light. Afterall, I was only 39. Who would have thought? She remained positive and calm, but now it was game on. She was now fully involved. This was for real.

I remember another time when our three-year old daughter was playing in the bleachers of the little league baseball game that her brother was playing. We all were sitting behind a basic garden-variety fence that was about three feet high, behind first base. All of a sudden, a wild throw from the second baseman went way over the first baseman’s head into the stands … connecting with my daughter’s eye. That moment was like in slow motion … I saw it coming … I couldn’t make the play to stop it … the ball connected … my daughter dropped … and in one fell swoop I had her in my arms running to the car to take her to the hospital. My wife, Pam, was yelling for me to stop and assess the situation. I was sure she was going to have a brain injury. Pam wanted to at least see how our daughter was doing … I didn’t even look to notice that she was conscious, crying, and really in pretty decent condition. It wasn’t that Pam wasn’t worried, but she didn’t jump to the most awful conclusion that I did. We did take her to the hospital, and she did have a slight skull fracture just below the eye, but it didn’t cause any damage to the eye and she was just fine. She did sport quite a shiner for a short while. 

Sometimes, your worst fear comes true … like a heart attack. That can play on your mind for a very long time. Events like these become the fertile ground from which negative thoughts and feelings grow. Other times, your worst fear doesn’t come true … like a childhood moment at the baseball field, and for those times you are thankful.

I’m a realist … and can be a worrier …  and can often comment on the negative side of the situation … and Pam, well, she is thoughtful, deliberate, and while still emotional, is able to not allow her emotions to overrule the moment—taking thoughtful and hopeful inventory of the current situation before reacting. Because of that, she tends to be much more positive.

We now joke about the fact that I had to call my own ambulance … you are right, I will never let her live that one down. She often laughs of my reaction and response to my daughter’s getting hit with a baseball. She said it was like all one motion from the time the ball came over the fence to me running in a panic toward the car … daughter in my arms headed to the emergency room!

My point is this: some of us are negative and some of us are positive and we are that way for a lot of different reasons. So, does it let us off the hook if we are simply shaped by negative events and or other environmental factors to be consistently leaning toward the negative side of life?

Not really. Not according to the Apostle Paul and his writings to the church in Philippi. Listen to these words that he wrote:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 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 4:7-8

When you read that, don’t you wish you could really live like that? I do. When I read these verses from one of my favorite books in the Bible, it seems, at first, to me that there is a cause-effect relationship taking place in the text. If I think about the things that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy … then the peace of God, which transcends all of my understanding about life and circumstances will guard my heart and my mind. I believe that is surely true, but I really think there is more to this text than what might meet the eye. 

Maybe we can get a better understanding by looking at verse 6:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.”  

Ahh! There is more! Paul paints a wonderful picture of a divine-human progression of how we should live life if we find ourselves leaning toward anxiousness, negativity, and worry. First, we can give all our cares and worries to God. Second, we will experience peace that we can’t even explain that guards our hearts and our minds. Third, we need to then think of these things. Thinking on these things is the help that God gives us so we won’t remain in our state of negativity, doubt, and fear. It’s like God’s remedy to worry and negativity. It’s not that we won’t have things to present to God that cause us grief, anxiety, and worry. He expects we will. When we do, though, he gives us peace and then prompts us to recall and remember these things that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy as a way forward out of our despair. We will always have things to present to God. He will always help us remain at peace. He will always give us things to think about … these things. 

It’s a little like going to the doctor with a concern. The doctor comforts you and says, “Hey, I have a prescription for you that will certainly take care of your problem. Be at peace.” The physician fills out the order for the prescription, you walk out the door, feeling you got an answer to your problem … but never go to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine that would be the remedy to your problem. That’s what it is like remaining in our negativity … we make our requests known to the Great Physician, but we fail to trust His remedy. How much does our mind suffer because we do not buy into His prescription? When we give our anxieties and cares to God, we can have confidence that He is at work. We also have to do our part in following His directive!

Notice every single thing we are to think about, according to these verses, is something that is positive.

Noble: something that is worthy of honor and dignity                                                                                                 

Right: that which has a character of truth from a biblical point of view

Pure: those things that are worthy of reverence

Lovely: something that is loveable and brings peace

Admirable: things that are attractive and have a good reputation

Excellent and Praiseworthy: those things that are worthy of praise

There is not a negative thing on this list. 

Like I said, I’m a realist … but often that has really been an excuse to slip into an attitude of negativity. It is a struggle for me at times … the glass is usually half empty. As Christians, we should not bathe our minds in the depth of despair. It might be the “thorn” in your flesh … I think it could be mine.

Lastly, so many times, we succumb to being people who talk incessantly about things that we are against, rather than something that we are for. My wife has broken me of something that I would often say: “I hate ….” Fill in the blank. I discovered that there was no inspiration in that type of speech. Someone once said, “You can tell a lot about a person by what they post on social media.” Ever since I heard that, I try to never post anything that is purely a downer … or simply negative. We have to live in reality … but reality also encompasses those things that are positive—the things that Paul lists in his letter to the Philippians. So, why not show the positivity of God … which is also reality? Why not think, before you speak, post, share, or pontificate, “Is this going to be helpful and inspirational, or is this going to bring someone down?” God’s best for us encompasses living lives abundantly and bringing Him glory! Let’s do it!

Being positive, according to scripture is a choice! We will either focus on the negative or think about these things that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

Sometimes, we have to slay the dragon within us that wants us to remain negative, doubtful, gloomy, and full of despair. Filling our minds with good things is just the remedy … the prescription … we need to make a step in the right direction and experience the peace that is beyond our understanding. Then, we will truly be able to deal with all the reality that life brings.

There are a lot of storms in life, which can really bring us down. But, as one person said, “Don’t let people pull you into their storms. Pull them into your peace.” God’s peace.