Shifting the Focus

What should I focus on today?

In the early years of parenting, it can be overwhelming to figure out where to give your efforts, what to focus on, or what to do first. Many days I woke up to a hungry toddler, wet bedsheets, a blown-out diaper, a husband looking for clean socks, bad breath, bed head, and a hairball in the middle of the living room rug. Where do I start? What do I focus on? Who do I care for first? Sometimes, I felt done before the day even started. It was about this time in my life when Philippians 4:8 became my forever favorite bible verse. My true north. My go-to. My fight song.

Philippians 4:8 reads, “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.”

I recommend you paste this verse in every room in your home. Or at least in every spot where you will interact with other humans in your family. 

True, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy. Read those words again. True, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy. For me, there is peace in those words. There is joy in those words. There is gratitude in those words. Many times, I found myself thinking about everything that is the opposite of these words. To think about such things is a simple command. He is not asking us to act on these things, or make a list of these things, or show gratitude for these things, or speak on these things.  Paul is telling us to think on these things. Even when we have no patience, no grace, no joy, no energy. Even when we have nothing else, we have our thoughts. Our thoughts are the one thing we have control over. Philippians 4:8 reminds us to take control of our thoughts and simply think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. Some people call this mindfulness, some call it positive self-talk, others call it self-affirmation. I call it simple. Simply stop and think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. It is a quick moment with God, enjoying a blessing. It might be the deep chocolate-brown eyes of your son, or the clicking of plastic dress-up shoes coming down the stairs, or how your children call their car seat a “sea-cart.” It might be that your husband wakes up and goes to work every single day. It might be that Reece’s Puffs cereal is on sale for $1.50 a box. Those little thoughts slow your heart rate. They stop your negative cycle. For a moment, they drown out the madness of your reality. They give you pause so you can re-enter the game.

My prayer for you today is that you find one thing that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. And that you think on that one thing as many times as you need to to get through this day. I pray that your thoughts of things true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy multiply and begin to outweigh the other thoughts in your life. I pray that even in the most difficult times, you share a glimpse of joy with God that will weaken your worries, block out your frustration, ease your impatience, and transform your rough patch into a peace patch. It is in His Holy Name and His true words that I lift up this prayer.