I bet we would be amazed by what some people first notice in this picture. For some, it will be a sunrise, for others, a sunset. Someone will notice the clouds, someone else the blue sky. One person will key in on the birds on the right, another will pick out the people standing on the hill to the left. You may perceive an empty road, or a path to unknown opportunities. The guardrail, the town in the background, the bare rock, the vegetation . . . There's much to see here.
What's amazing is that we all see the same thing, but many of use will focus on different aspects. That's the difference between what we see and what we perceive, and much of that depends on what we're looking for.
You may not even know, consciously, what you're looking for. Your perceptions are influenced by a myriad of factors. For example, how you feel is often going to dictate what you see. In a good mood, you'll probably see the sun. Day not going so well? Those clouds could be bringing in a storm. Where the road ends might be a cliff, or perhaps a gentle descent into a glorious villa lit by the sun.
Each of us can look at the same picture and see something different. And believe it or not, we can choose to see what we want.
Life is the same way.
We could each have the same experience, and perceive it a different way. It happens every day. I could have one person say something negative and ruin my whole day. On the other hand, you might brush off that comment as no big deal and instead focus on 10 other things that person or someone else said, and call it a great day. It depends, in large part, on what we're looking for.
That is a choice. We cannot always choose what we see or what we experience, but we can choose how we perceive it. We can choose what we focus on. We can decide what's really important to us.
Here's what the Bible says.
Philippians 4:8 reads, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Read that again. Paul says that we should think about the good things in life. That's all about picking through everything we see and experience and focusing on the positive. Whatever is true. Whatever is honorable. Whatever is pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise. These are the things we are to look for in life. These are the things we are to focus on. These are the things we are to see.
There is a conscious effort involved here. Paul is telling us to choose. In this life, we will see good and bad. He tells us to choose to dwell on what is good. And the bad? It's not worth thinking about. Let. It. Go.
Paul tells us that as we go through our days we shouldn't focus on the negative. Don't fret about things which are not true. Don't stew over what is dishonorable. Don't mull over injustice, or obsess over impurity. Do not let what is unlovely block out what is lovely, nor allow the contemptible to push aside the commendable. Never allow the inferior to outweigh the excellent, or permit something unworthy of praise to occupy your mind. Do not waste your energy on these things. Let them go. They're not worth your time.
Seek what is good.
Choose to see beauty rather than ugliness. Focus on what is positive, not the downside. Live your life thinking about those things which are worth thinking about, and leave the rest to rot like the garbage it is. Life is full of those things which are true and honorable and just and pure and lovely and so on. All you have to do is look, and you will find them.
Today, seek what is good. In the verse that follows the one above, Paul says, Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
Seek what is good, and the God of peace will be with you. That's sure to change your day.
That's worth remembering!
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