Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report;
if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things. Philippians 4:8
The thought of thinking on good and lovely things
goes along with looking for your blessings or counting your blessings
Remembering the good things God has given us?
Not so easy to do sometimes
It is something we practice and practice and practice,
and still, we forget to look for the good
We do this in people as well
My new neighbors do not own a lawn mower
They let their grass grow to knee length
Now it’s dried out and a fire hazard
I thought, ‘It could be worse, they could be loud’
They are very quiet
To me, that is a blessing
It can be so easy to focus on the bad
which is not at all what the Lord wants us to do
I’m not even sure I am capable to write on this subject
since I struggle so much in this area
Though I have found a way to focus on Jesus in every circumstance
Being completely content in every circumstance like Paul talked about?
Not there yet
Not that I speak in respect of want:
for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content.
I know both how to be abased,
and I know how to abound:
every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13
We’re battling against our own flesh
to allow the Lord to help us keep our eyes on the prize
To find Jesus’ blessings in every instance
The flesh that we try so hard to put under submission
Jesus wants us to focus on the good and the lovely
He is filling our lives with blessings each and every day
By looking at the negative, we miss out on the beauty
Practice makes perfect
and I’m going to keep practicing this directive from the Bible until I get it