Think tank: "true"

Blue columbine grow in a little triangle flowerbed of perennials my son planted for me several years ago. Oh, his creative touch with lavender, lupine and other flowers bringing a dead corner to life every spring. Though columbine come in many colors, I’m glad he chose blue, my favorite hue. It’s soothing and also connected with loyalty or constancy, as in “true blue.”  Maybe that’s why I pay extra attention with I come across “true” in the Bible as in the sense of real, ideal, genuine, manifest, uncompromised.. John called Jesus “the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). Many passages in Revelation use “true” in describing God’s attributes. Then there’s Philippians 4:8, urging us to think about whatever is true.

It’s true that Paul wrote these words while a prisoner in Rome. But instead of complaining, he sought God’s true purposes in his situation and found the joy that throbs through this epistle. He gave struggling believers some “think tank” homework—to think  (meditate) on God’s praiseworthy attributes, starting with “true.” He knew it would change their outlooks and lives.

 

The “think tank” assignments follow Paul’s practical advice about surviving hard times: *Rejoice in the Lord always.  Long ago I had a car with a bumper sticker that said, “Praise the Lord Anyway!” One day a hefty teen guy was helping me carry out a big load of groceries. You guessed it: a glass jar rolled out and almost broke. Noticing my bumper sticker, he rolled his eyes and said, “Praise the Lord, anyway.”  I don’t think that’s quite what Paul had in mind! Instead, it is a mindset for life that says even when I can’t understand what’s happening, I rejoice in God who sees far ahead and helps me.

*Let your gentleness be evident to all.  I hope I’m not the lady who blusters about so much that people wish she wasn’t around. A “gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:4) has been on my “remember-to-practice” list for a long time. I’m glad Paul added, “The Lord is near.” He sees every speck of behavior, good or bad.

*Do not be anxious about anything. Oh, this one stings. Can’t I just be “concerned”? But carnal concern slops over into sinful anxiety quite easily.

*In everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Those with high anxiety are apt to be those who obey the “pray over problems” a lot.  They stay anxious because God doesn’t answer their prayers promptly enough or in the way they want. They forget the “thanksgiving” part, which would say, “God, this is big in my life. I don’t see a solution, but thank You that You already have a better answer in mind. Thank you that some day I’ll look back and see Your wisdom.  I praise you that it’s not all about me and my worry-prayers but about You being a wise, gracious and loving God.”

Living and praying God’s way, Paul said, results in true peace. It’s not that push-back-in- the-recliner for a sigh-filled “end of day,” but a spiritual peace that “transcends all understanding.” It will also “guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 7).  Now, that’s “beyond understanding.” 

Next: “honest”

Tongue-tried

Part of a continuing series inspired by sights of Kauai.

I’m no botanist—just someone who appreciates beauty—so my reaction to this flower was, “Oh, look at the tongue on this one.” Actually, its Greek name means “tail flower,” and one thing you need to know about this bloom is that it’s poisonous. It contains calcium oxalate crystals, and even its sap can irritate the skin and eyes. In other words, look, don’t touch.  Don’t even think about tasting.

 But, oh—the beauty of the anthurium, native to the rain forests of Central and South America. They do well in Kauai’s humid climate, too, first brought to the islands more than a century ago. Here’s the story of how it happened.  In 1876, Edouard Andre, the head gardener of Paris, spotted an anthurium on an expedition to the rain forests of Colombia. Brought back to Europe, the specimens went from Belgium to the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in England. Then in 1889, Samuel Mills, Hawaii’s Minister of Finance, brought the first anthurium to England, planting it in the gardens of his estate.  A fussy tropical plant, it needs kept between 55-90 degrees F—preferably above 70 degrees.

What I called the “tongue” is actually the flower, which contains the plant’s reproductive system. That fact, I realized, was appropriate in light of truths that come from James’ blunt letter to Christians having problems with their tongues. That unruly slab of flesh in our mouths is prone to reproducing all sorts of negative “discharge,” like complaining, gossiping, murmuring, backbiting, and more. We tend to ignore our “tongue history,” but Jesus came down hard on it, particularly the words that deny the faith:

I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.(Matthew 12:36)

His disciple and half-brother, James, took it further:

The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts…The tongue…is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body…no man can tame the tongue, it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison [like the anthurium!]…Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. (James 3:5, 8, 10, bracketed comment added)

What’s the cure? A constant vigilance and restraint, remembering God hears every casual and negative word. Through Paul, we’re reminded to think (and also speak) of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).  Or, as has been popularized in posters, to consider the acrostic “THINK” before speaking. The letters stand for True, Helpful, Inspirational, Necessary, and Kind.

 Next time, when tried, tested or perturbed, stop and THINK. It will make a big difference.