Philippians 4:8 says:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise—think about these things.”
These words come after Paul’s encouragement to “rejoice in the Lord always” (v. 4). He calls us to be known for our reasonableness (v. 5), to bring every worry to God in prayer with thanksgiving (v. 6), and he assures us that God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds (v. 7).
But how do we actually live that out? Verse 8 gives us the answer: we guard our minds by choosing what to dwell on. Instead of focusing on what is negative, painful, or unfair, we fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable, and praiseworthy.
Paul wrote these words from prison. He bore scars from whippings and beatings, had been shipwrecked and even stoned nearly to death—yet he refused to dwell on those things. His focus was on God’s goodness, the love shown through Christ’s sacrifice, and the praiseworthy work of others. Because of that focus, he knew the peace of God.
I know the cost of doing the opposite. For years, I allowed myself to dwell on the wrongs others did to me, on the things I lacked, on disrespect or hurtful words. That robbed me of joy. And because I had no joy, I had none to pass on. Sadly, it left scars on others as well.
So, to those I’ve hurt: I pray you can forgive me. If you’ve been hurt by others, I pray you can forgive them. I ask this not for my sake, or for theirs but for yours. And more importantly, I pray you will set your mind on what is good and commendable, so that you may know the joy and peace that surpass all understanding.