Think about such things.

Finally, brothers,
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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9


Unbeknownst to some of you, I am a secret pessimist. My initial tendency is to see what is wrong. And then be discontent. It is a real effort for me to look at what is positive around me.

As I have been in my garden lately, I continue to look around and see what does not please me. The grass is not growing here, the mulch isn't deep enough there, this plant doesn't look healthy, this wooden barrel planter is falling apart, I don't like these hostas in this location, WHY DOES THIS IVY PERSIST!

And I stop and listen. And the Lord reminds me. Your garden is like your life, Sheri. You can CHOOSE to look at the negative or you can choose to look at what is right.

Ouch!

On Sunday, our Sr. High Pastor was finishing the current series on Philippians. Even as he began teaching, my mind was drawn to my garden (as it so often does). Then he came to Philippians 4:8-9. The pastor was drawing our attention towards the call to obey, to fill our mind with the good things of God, and the promise of God's presence. To think about such things.

And the Lord reminded me...whether you are looking at life or your garden, choose to obey...THINK about such things. So, I have been trying to do that lately. As I have my daily morning walk around the garden, I look at each plant and think...true...and then the next plant... noble, and the next plant... right... And the Lord is reminding me to do that with my life and the world around me. Make a choice, Sheri. And as I choose to obey...the God of peace will be with me. Yes, that is what I truly want.

So, now, I would like to somehow have little posts or rocks around the yard that remind me of what to think about...I'll let you know what I come up with, but for now...


true

noble

right

pure

lovely

admirable

excellent

praiseworthy

Think about such things...


Comments

Anonymous said…
Great pix....
September 6, 2007 at 2:14 PM
Kathy said…
Good thoughts and wonderful verses! Thanks!
September 6, 2007 at 3:42 PM
Anonymous said…
Sheri
Great words and a great blog. The pictures give a wonderful feeling.
Love Ruth
September 8, 2007 at 11:54 AM
Anonymous said…
good thoughts and i love the garden analogy. I think i might share some of it with my women's circle on tuesday. Thanks for sharing!
Kayla of FCC
September 5, 2008 at 12:57 PM
sister sheri said…
Dear Kayla

Thanks for stopping by!

God's blessings to you!
September 6, 2008 at 9:40 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All I Want is for My Daughter to be Whole
and off those Antidepressants...

Image
In Honor of World Mental Health Day - It’s time to talk about it. Here is a post I wrote on July of 2009. "But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:32 NIV I had never met her before. I had joined my mother for a luncheon and I just happened to sit next to her. A godly woman... perhaps almost 70 years old... well-put together. She explained to me that her daughter was dealing with depression. And then she boldly exclaimed, "All I want is for my daughter to be whole and off those antidepressants!" My eyes widened. My throat got tight. My heart hurt. And immediately I began the self-talk. If you're going through the study Me, Myself & Lies, you know what I'm talking about... the talk that goes on in our head... often destructive in nature. And if not properly taken captive can tempt me to destroy everything that God has instilled in me. And ...
Read more

The Object of Her Displeasure

Image
"You can't understand the seriousness of idolatry without understanding the jealousy of God.   And you can't understand his jealousy without some understanding of his relentless,  powerful love for you, because they are intertwined."    ~ "Gods at War:  Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart"  by Kyle Idleman author of "not a fan"  Jealous Momma She was ticked.  She kept click-click-clicking.  I looked for a nest but didn't see any.  She was mad.  Territorial.  Jealous.  Since I could not find the object of her displeasure, I continued pruning in my backyard. Again, click-click-click.  This time she summons a hummingbird.  I am getting a little nervous.  Never having seen the movie "The Birds" but well-knowing what it was about... I pull back and observe the area.  Then I see it.  In the hanging basket above my head. Object of Her Affection Four littl...
Read more

Dusty Prayers

Image
View from the Mount of Olives   Remembrance Stones on a Jewish Grave Have you ever wished that Jesus would hurry? A song plays in my head... "Jesus, hurry come back for us we cannot wait..." and I have to admit that I've lived most of my life wishing for it. Why be here if heaven is so great and Jesus is there with no pain and with no tears? Why wait? Until the other day when I saw God's hand at work. I saw movement in prayers that are over 25 years old. My dusty prayers being answered.  My “dusty prayers” are prayers that I pray and pretty much leave on a shelf.  That is until I hear someone say, "Let's pray for any lost loved ones." And I wondered... if... let's just say... Jesus really had hurried?  But now my heart is so encouraged that I have decided to take a couple more prayers off the shelf. Dust them off and start praying and petitioning and anticipating and looking for God's hand.  And I'm thinking that you probably have ...
Read more