Whatever is Lovely...

Please indulge me for a minute as I get personal. Recently, my friend (and the Pastor who married us) posted a bit of scripture on Facebook that really resonated with me. He said, and I quote:

"There is so much in this world we can focus on that is bad, but God reminds us life is too short to focus on those things. "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"

I kept reading and re-reading this quote. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy...why would we ever focus on anything else? It all seemed so simple, so perfect, so obvious!

Regardless of your own personal religious beliefs, I think it's safe to say that thinking on these things is much more productive, fulfilling and good than focusing on all of the negative this life has to offer.

So many days I get bogged down by what is wrong in my life. It's as if I can't see all of the lovely things that are right there in front of me. And while I do have my faith to get me through tough times, negativity, worry and doubt, sometimes I feel like it isn't enough. Does anyone else feel that way?

How can this scripture, this one simple little quote, sum up exactly what our focus should be? But then again, I guess the truth is simple. So, today and everyday, I plan to think on these things. Even when my mind wanders, and I focus on the bad, I'll hold onto this passage and hopefully see a bit more beauty.

p.s. The photo is a sneak peek at a really fun post coming soon. It just so happens to be the most beautiful thing I've seen all week and therefore had to be shared along side this post! The photo is by Mary Costa and the flowers were created by Emblem Flowers.