Ponder

Today's word was Ponder. As I was trying to run a bit faster at the end of my run, I was pondering this word "ponder."  The following verses came to mind from Philippians 4 (I've included two different translations here): 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 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. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9, NIV) 

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4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Philippians 4:4-9 The Message) 

As I look at this famous sculpture called "The Thinker" by Rodin, I wonder what he is pondering.  These verses in Philippians show me that that we have a choice in what we ponder.  We can focus on our anxieties and we can mull over them until we are blue in the face.  But God is showing us that he has another plan for us.  He tells us that instead of worrying, he wants us to talk to Him.  We can come to him with anything on our minds and settle in as if we were sitting on His lap.  We can put all the hard stuff on the table and then we can focus on the things we are grateful for. Gratitude is such a powerful tool as it automatically points us to the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable in our lives.  And then, He gives us this amazing gift and promise of His peace to wrap us up before He sends us on our way.... 

What you focus on grows- so may you focus on the light in the darkness and ponder the good stuff of life today.