Beauty is not only something we can see ~ it is a state of mind. It is choosing to look upon the things that God would have us to look upon and not to listen to all of the lies and ugliness that try to crowd out those lovely things.Philippians 4:8, "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."
My mind is one of my greatest enemies it seems at times. I can feel so discouraged and feel trapped there in my mind. But, this verse has meant a great deal to me for a very long time and I've found myself asking ...Is this thought true?
Is this thought noble?
Is this thought right?
Is this thought pure?
Is this thought lovely?
Is this thought admirable?
Is this thought excellent?
Is this thought praise-worthy?
Often, I don't even have to make it through the entire list before getting my answer! When we fix our minds on things that are lovely and pure and true - we are fixing our minds on things of God. He is the only One who can fully satisfy each of these things.When I am thinking of His ways or seeking His guidance, my mind is in a lovely place. And, really - lovely just sounds like a soft and gentle word for beauty doesn't it? It conjures up a lot of the same ideas and pictures when I hear the word lovely - but it seems even softer than beauty somehow.
How do you keep your mind fixed on the lovely, the things full of beauty?Photos: A lovely (and rare 60 degrees cool!) Saturday morning invites a few minutes of spontaneous beauty! Donut recipe here.
5 comments:
Such a good reminder Monica. I am doing the "Days of Beauty" but I don't really have a blog. I check everyday and appreciate your encouragement.
Shelby
Your porch looks beautiful--wish I could be sitting there right now!
I thought about making those donuts this morning, and then changed my mind. =) (Mostly, because I'll be getting up early to make breakfast in bed for Eric tomorrow.)
Those doughnuts look yummy! I'm definitely going to try to make them for my family in the coming days.
That looks like a beautiful Fall morning! Your doughnuts look delicious. I so agree that our minds are often one of the biggest battlefields! I hope we can all succeed in the battle of having godly thoughts.
Here is another post that I did on having days of beauty: http://proverbs31living.blogspot.com/2011/10/concentrating-on-kindness-and-seeing.html
Awesome blog. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. They are always an inspiration to me. :)
God bless and keep you,
Sonia
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