Today, I sensed there might be someone out there who’s a little overwhelmed with the news of late. The artist, musician, writer types are especially prone to being sucked into a swirling vortex of bad reports. Especially, if one is a news junky and ruminates on the constant barrage of tweets.
Don’t do it. We need a balance here. We need to stay informed so that we can pray and offer assistance when possible. But often folks find themselves at one extreme or another. They’re either living in denial about what’s happening in the world, or they find their thoughts filled with pictures and sound bites of destruction and deterioration, which can lead to hopelessness.
Verses I’ve come to rely on daily are Philippians 4:8-9: “…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.”
This is where I have to keep my mind: on the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. I’ve memorized these verses so that I can carry them with me at all times. It’s nearly impossible to make yourself stop thinking about bad reports, but what I’ve found, is that we can substitute scriptural thoughts that encompass the list above. It takes practice and discipline. But it helps us hold on to our hope, which is essential.
As a reminder, I have a gift for you today. Occasionally, I’ve given away watercolor bookmarks I’ve painted. So I added a page to this blog and included a bookmark with Philippians 4:8-9. Simply click on the tab at the upper right. You may print it, or if you have trouble, contact me through my website, www.BeverlyVarnado.com, and I’ll email one to you.
May the God of Peace be with you.
P. S. Case in point--Lucy ate the other half of the tulip in the picture. But I decided to paint the good half-the lovely half. Also, yes, that's Misty's paw in the picture. She stepped in just as I snapped the photo.