Pure /pyo͝or/
What things, exactly, does Paul want us to “think on”?
It’s time to define some terms again.
My theme verse for this series is Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. — Philippians 4:8 ASV (emphasis added)
Call me a cynic, but I’m having trouble with that word pure. I have a hard time finding anything pure in our world. A loose, secular definition renders the word to mean simply something that isn’t mixed with anything else, or is free of contaminants. The Biblical definition, the one Paul likely was employing, is
free of faults; immaculate
The only thing I can think of that would be “pure” by those standards is God Himself, represented in the Trinity. And I suspect that’s true. Yet, I also wonder if we don’t have small, sacred glimpses of purity in God’s creation. Paul says these are things for our minds to dwell on… and my hope is that in so doing, I will learn optimism. Would you help me today? Let’s generate a list of things that are pure… together we’ll find a beautiful place for our minds to rest. I’ll start below. You add them in the comments (below), on Facebook (look for the link to this post) or email me directly and I’ll add them.
- A smile
- The hug of a mother
- A crocus pushing out of winter’s soil
- The sound of leaves crunching underfoot in the fall
- Waking to a fresh blanket of snow
- The willingness of a friend to walk through grief and suffering with another
- The first notes of a melody, calling us to worship
[Tweet “What would you add to the list? Contribute here! #thinkonthesethings #write31days”]
I’m counting on you to add to the list!
This post is part of a 31 day series entitled “Think on these things: Learning optimism.” For a full catalog of all the posts, visit the first page in the series by clicking here.