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

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 8, 2018): Philippians 4

I am captivated by the poet Nayyirah Waheed’s thought that “if the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air.” Of course, the ocean and us have actually very little in common. But it is true that, for the ocean, both the agitation and the calming action of the water arises from within, or more specifically from the temperature change in the water itself. Climate change and the warming of the earth’s oceans are important because it is essentially this warming that agitates the winds and causes the disturbance. If the core temperature of the water continues to rise, then we should expect that storms will continue to increase both in frequency and in amplitude or violence. And because of what is already in the water, the calming effect of the ocean will be minimized.

Our internal temperature also has a lot to do with how we react to the world. And our internal temperature, unlike the temperature of the oceans, is something that we have a measure of control over. Admittedly, each one of us is made differently, and our genetics and upbringing or history exercise a measure of control over how we react to the stimuli of the world. Yet, it would be foolish to argue, although many do, that we have no control over how we react to the experiences that our world brings to us. And there are certain “practices” that can assist us as we react to what is happening all around us.

Paul argues that our journey to calming ourselves begins with where we choose to focus our minds. Each element carries a story that we should understand. Whatever is true (admittedly, truth sometimes seems to hide its face from us, and yet we should learn to recognize that which is truly true), noble, just or right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy, focus and meditate on these things.

Too often we believe the lie, we regard nobility to be beyond our grasp, we think that justice is found only in the pages of comic books, that purity is impossible, that what is lovely is fleeting, that there is nothing that is admirable when we really get close, that there is no virtue and nothing that we can find is worthy of our praise. But we are wrong. And, in the Star Wars world, these thoughts are nothing more than the path to the Darkside.

Your reactions to the world will be governed to a large extent on where it is that you decide to place your mind. And this is not just a fleeting thought of Paul, but one that he repeats in his letters to the churches. To the Romans, he stresses that they should not “conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). To the Corinthian Church, he instructs them to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

We are more in control of our reactions then we have come to believe. The solution to calming ourselves is not easy, but it is present. It all hinges on where we choose to place our mind. For Paul, the solution is to “think on these things.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Colossians 1

Nayyirah Waheed’s poem is maybe better broken up like this.

“if
the ocean
can calm itself,
so can you.
we
are both
salt water
mixed with
air.”

-          Nayyirah Waheed