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 4:8 NIV
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can mope around.
I’m just a dog.
Fur, tail, four paws, and a heart that beats fast when I hear the treat jar.
But even an old dog like me can get in a funk.
Maybe my bones ache when the weather changes.
Maybe my human leaves for longer than I’d like.
Maybe the squirrel wins the race.
And when that happens, I’ve got a choice.
I can lay there with my chin on my paws and think about what I don’t have…
Or I can lift my nose to the wind and remember what I do.
The Apostle Paul said it better than I ever could in Philippians 4:8–9.
He said to think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—anything excellent or praiseworthy. Then he said to put it into practice.
When I dwell on the empty food bowl, I stay hungry.
When I dwell on the thunder, I shake.
When I dwell on the closed door, I forget there’s a whole house behind it.
But when I think on what’s true?
It’s true my human has never once forgotten to feed me.
When I think on what’s lovely?
It’s that warm patch of sunlight on the living room floor.
When I think on what’s admirable?
It’s the faithful hands that scratch behind my ears every single night.
You see, what I dwell on determines where I lie down.
If I roll around in the mud of worry, I’m going to smell like it.
If I roll around in gratitude, I’ll wag like it.
Paul wrote those words from prison, of all places.
Not a porch swing.
Not a green pasture.
A prison.
And yet he told folks to think on the good things and practice them.
That tells me something powerful…
Joy isn’t found in the yard you’re in.
It’s found in what you choose to focus on while you’re there.
When we’re down, the enemy wants us sniffing around the trash pile of “what if,” “if only,” and “why me.”
But the Lord gently turns our muzzle toward truth.
Think on what’s true.
Think on what’s right.
Think on what’s lovely.
And then—practice it.
For me, that might mean getting up off the porch, giving thanks for the next breath, and wagging at the next human who walks by.
For you, it might mean speaking a word of praise when you feel like complaining.
It might mean opening that Bible when your heart feels closed.
Paul promised something in that passage.
He said if we do these things, the God of peace will be with us.
Not just peace.
The God of peace.
Now that’ll pull a dog out of a funk quicker than the sound of that treat jar opening.
So today, if you’re feeling low…
Lift your eyes.
Lift your thoughts.
Lift your focus.
Dwell in the right yard.
Because when you think on the goodness of God long enough…
Your tail just naturally starts to wag.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
