I come from a long line of worriers, so I tend to think that I have perfected the art. Still there are times when I cannot hold a candle to my grandmother’s mastery of the subject. She would worry that she didn’t worry enough as if worrying could change anything.
Many people today are struggling to keep their thoughts aligned with positive subjects. Indeed, there are many things about which to worry. Will I lose my job? My home? What if I get terminally ill – or it happens to someone in my family? The list goes on and on. So, it is especially important that we craft good, positive messages as subjects for our messages these days to keep people focused on what matters most. This is true for every communication, but I am partial to podcasters.
Think on these things
Paul gives us plenty of positive things to think on in Philippians 4:8. Things that are:
- True
- Honorable
- Just
- Pure
- Lovely
- Commendable
- Excellent
- Praiseworthy
I love the paraphrase of the Message (Eugene H. Peterson, 2018) including verse 9:
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
How We Can Be
I believe these verses speak directly to us as church communicators and gives us a guide when we are stuck on what to write about in a blog post, for instance (not that I would know about that). Beyond that very practical use, I believe this verse can help us to live out our Christian lives in a secular world, especially when we are confronted with some negative truth daily.
We can read and hear the negative truth but choose to focus our thoughts on a corresponding positive truth. We can see the ugly but take a second look to find beauty there through the eyes of God. When others are tearing people down, we can choose to find something praiseworthy in their lives that would glorify God. In Paul’s conclusion, he points out that God’s dichotomy is part of the plan. He encourages us to embrace it and incorporate into our way of being.
Questions We Might Ask Ourselves
What message are we sending with our podcasts or even our everyday communication? How can we acknowledge pain and brokenness all the while lifting people up? Can we speak of hope and faith and love in a way that meets people where they are?