Philippians 4:8
King James Version: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Common English Bible: From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise.
Eugene Peterson's The Message: 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.
New Living Translation: And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Of all these versions of the same verse, I think I can relate to either The Message version or the NLT version better. Or a combination of those two.
I'm going through a devotional right now on my YouVersion Bible app, and today's verse is Philippians 4:8. The reflection is asking me to write down the same verse from 3 different versions, and ask God for guidance.
The Message tells me to meditate and fill my mind on good thoughts, and then clarifies it to be the BEST, the BEAUTIFUL, and things to PRAISE... and NLT says to fix my thoughts on truth and things that are worthy of praise.
I have two good friends that started their own social network, and that network is full of the people that they have personally invited in. So really, it's a small network of like minded people, who have a passion for life in general. One of the things they started was a daily gratitude check in. It's just one of many topics that they encourage us to post about. And it's the topic that is the most used right now, followed by Self Care, Music, Social Justice, Mental Wellness, and 9 more topics.
Creating a daily gratitude list falls into the category of praise for sure. I have had a lot of trouble with making a daily list. Heck, I have trouble with making a list EVER. :'(
Why? Why do I struggle to come up with things I am grateful for? These are good thoughts, worthy of praises, so I SHOULD have something to say every day. Why is it so hard to even come up with a list of things that you want to praise? Like I said, I struggle with even thinking of one. I just don't have the energy most days.
But in reality, as soon as you come up with one thing, no matter how small it is, more small things come to your mind. Pretty soon you have a list that you didn't think it would be possible to create!
It's all about making it a habit. Experts say it takes a specific number of days to create a good habit and making it stick to become routine. Most experts say 21 days. 21 days to form a habit. But some experts says it can take an average of 2 months, or 66 days to make that habit become an automatic routine. One study in particular says it took participants anywhere from 18 to 254 days to make the habit an automatic routine. O-o
So how long should I continue to try and make a gratitude list? IDK. I'll just keep trying!
There will ALWAYS be SOMETHING to be grateful for, something worthy of praise, something good, something beautiful, something compelling and authentic.
Authentic is being true to yourself, and not giving a darn about what other's think. I could keep going down the rabbit hole and get completely off track... so I'll stop here.
But think about it yourself. MEDITATE on it. Make your list of things that are true, honorable, authentic, noble, worthy of praise. Even if it's a small thing.
I'm grateful for having a job.
For having friends to talk to.
For having food to eat.
For warmth.
For coffee.
