Where Do You Dwell?
“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. 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 4:8-9)
Jesus is with you in every situation of your life. He is there in your moments of joy and holding you close throughout your deepest sorrow. It is possible to find peace that surpasses all circumstances when we hold onto the truth of God’s love.
Watching a child suffer is the most difficult thing a parent can experience. The helplessness that you feel when things are out of your control only escalate as the enemy seeps in and tries to take hold of your thoughts. Yet, there are answers of truth and hope within the pages of the Bible that you can hold on to. The strength you need comes from God and He will carry you through.
Being told by a doctor that your child has a terminal illness is emotionally crippling. Those words will break you into a million pieces, but the pieces can be restored by God’s grace. Jesus loves you. He gave His life for you. He can help heal your wounds from the wounds He endured to give you life.
So when I consider, “Whatever is noble,” I personally think about the many blessings that were revealed in the stillness of my sorrow.
When I think about what is “Right,” I look to the truth of God’s promises. As I reflect on what is “Pure,” I clearly saw the purity of Jesus’ love reflecting in the eyes of both my boys. Their eyes sparkled with the undeniable belief of God our Almighty Father.
The calmness they maintained while the storm of life stirred within them was “Lovely” and illuminated the peace they had.
There are endless ways that I found both Leo and Trent “Admirable.” At the top of my list was the way Jesus worked through them. Helping them accept their circumstances while encouraging others to also seek God.
It is hard to believe that you could ever say that your deepest sorrow could be “Excellent.” Yet, it was through these most difficult times that I came to see that my life was actually His life and the lives of my sons were in better care in the hands of the Father.
Through it all, God placed the power of His peace within my spirit that allowed me to see the good works He was permitting through the agony of our trials. This made it possible to be “Praiseworthy” helping to see that our circumstances were for the good of His kingdom.
For He alone planted the seed and grew a garden of His love within our hearts where He dwells. As it took root and blossomed it left no room for the enemy to steal our joy. As we grew to learn how to dwell in His love, God sprouted a canopy of peace shielding us from the weeds of despair.
