Do You See in Greyscale?

“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

Are you viewing things in just black or just white?

In this passage, Paul is reminding us to look at the good aspects of things. Often times, it is easy for us to look at only the bad parts. In fact, these bad parts act sticky in our brains. The bad aspects of things stick and they are easier to think about and recall. The good aspects of things are slippery, like they have a non-stick coating. This is why we just naturally seem to remember the bad better.

However, Paul is telling us that we need to keep our minds constantly thinking of the good things. Since they don’t stick, we must habitually remind us of the good. We see that Paul is casting a pretty wide net here, using many different ways to describe “good.” Right, pure, lovely. These are all various angles in which to feel that something is good.

But… this does not mean we get to ignore the bad. In some cases,seeing the good means addressing the bad head on. If we isolate ourselves from seeing both the good AND bad of things, we miss out on the true picture.

Take a minute and think about something you feel you may be viewing only the black or the white of; only the good or the bad. What would it look like for you to hold onto both the good and bad at the same time?

Spend a few minutes in prayer asking God to help reveal areas in which you might be seeing only good or only the bad. Pray that the Spirit would guide you in opening your eyes to the varying good and bad aspects of the thing or things you are thinking about.