Philippians, and finding the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent in a volatile world

I was flipping through an old journal yesterday, taping in pictures from the year that corresponded with the day on which I wrote. It has become one of my absolute favorite habits I’ve adopted over the past few years, and one that my little brother, Cody – well, he’s not so little; he’s built like a pit bull with a crew cut – has become enamored with as well. His “log,” he calls his journal.

At the bottom of each page, I write a quote of the day – an inspirational or humorous or memorable piece of writing I came across that day. One from Philippians, chapter 4, verse 8, grabbed my attention: “Finally, brothers,” Paul writes in the epistle, “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.”

It’s a common riff among Christians and, especially, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to liken the scriptures unto yourselves. How do they apply to what you’re going through, what the world is going through?

It doesn’t take too much thought to translate how that could be likened unto ourselves today. For me, anyway. I don’t know about you. There’s a lot of evil in the world at the moment. Bad news seems to be at an all-time high. If it’s not a global pandemic, it’s a volatile economy. If it’s not a volatile economy, it’s a race riot. If it’s not a race riot, it’s an oil spill in the Arctic Circle.

Peace, news that is pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy, can be difficult to find. Hop on social media and it’s a flood of vitriol. Take a walk and bits of conversation you’ll overhear are almost invariably focused on one, if not all, of the above.

It’s easy – and, to an extent – somewhat necessary to focus at least a little on all that bad. What is difficult is to focus on the good in the world, and there is still so much of it. It’s still everywhere, no matter what the news or social media may say.

Good can be found in a good book. A game night with friends, even if it’s just online Catan. Holding your spouse’s hand. A sunset at the beach, over the mountains, among rolling hills. Good can be found in a road trip across the country. Recalling a chat with a man you admire before your wedding day (the subject of the image above). In moment of meditation or prayer. It can be found in everyday citizens like you and me launching GoFundMes for businesses impacted by Covid-19 and riots. It can be found in peaceful gatherings of people of all demographics working for the same cause – a good cause.   

It is important, to be sure, to dig into some of the negative aspects of life; it’s the only way these things can be righted. But it’s also vital to think about, as Paul writes, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable.”

It’s out there. I promise. Find it, wherever you can.

And have a great Sunday, y’all.