Thinking to Become
By Chris Sommer
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Phil. 4:8
The door to the hospital room was propped open, so I could immediately see the congregation member lying in the bed. Although it was mid-afternoon, the room was dark; the lights were turned out and the curtains were mostly closed. Lester was awake. Hospitals are wonderful for many reasons, but getting sleep is not one of them. He turned to his right to see who was walking through the door, saw me, and smiled. Lester had a warm smile that was only outdone by his gentle voice and inviting demeanor. Although in his eighties, he was still objectively handsome. He sported a well-trimmed goatee, and always dressed crisply for Sunday mornings. He would never say this, but, although I came as the clergy in this moment, we both knew that he had more Biblical knowledge than I did or do. His faithfulness was evidenced in the fact that, unlike most people, when I asked if he had a favorite scripture that he would want me to read, he had an answer. Without hesitation he said Philippians 4.
Oddly, I don’t remember much else he said that day. If I remember correctly, Lester was a painter before retiring and we spoke of that a bit. His loving bride suffered from Alzheimer’s at the time, so he was concerned for her while he was away. I had visited with the two of them once before at a senior living facility in south St. Louis County, one which I drive by ten times per week. I remember him standing next to her tiny frame. Although he was not a tall man, his posture and personality projected him as larger than he was. Unfortunately, I can’t remember many more details from his life, but I can tell you my impressions of him… Honorable. Just. Commendable. Loving.
I am sure that it is no coincidence that my opinion of Lester lines up well with his favorite scripture. Over time, the text he thought so much about (both qualitatively and quantitatively) just naturally absorbed into his person. True. Honorable. Just. Pure. Lovely. Commendable. Excellent. Praiseworthy. That’s how it seems to work… our actions and words habitually follow our primary thoughts. Before you or I can be the person that walks the walk, we first have to be the person that thinks the thought.
Lester thought faithful thoughts. He thought a great deal of Philippians 4. And his dwelling with Philippians 4 affected who he was to the point that, when I hear verse 8, I think of him. He reflected these attributes--not perfectly, but faithfully. But here’s the really odd thing. I wanted to share a specific example of Lester doing something of excellence or worthy of praise, but enough years have passed that nothing specific came to mind. Yet, I still remember the person he was even if I don’t remember what exactly he did. I don’t have a specific memory of him doing a loving act, but I remember him as a loving person. I don’t remember him doing anything specifically commendable, but I remember him as a commendable person. These words from Philippians 4 are not primarily things Lester did; they are descriptions of who he was.
That’s how it is with the qualities in this verse. These adjectives cannot be thought of abstractly, divorced from someone or something; no, they have to be associated with a noun. If you say the word pink, I can think of the color pink without thinking of any specific object; but if you say “lovely,” I have to think of something lovely. I cannot think of “lovely” in the abstract. If you say “excellent,” I have to think of something excellent; I can’t think of “excellence” apart from an excellent object. And I would assert that when Paul penned these words to the Philippians, he did not intend for us to think of them abstractly; instead, he wanted us to think of a specific thing or person that reflects these qualities, a particular creation that reflects its Creator. Things or people that are… True. Honorable. Just. Pure. Lovely. Commendable. Excellent. Praiseworthy.
I frequently need Paul’s reminder. I have lived with myself long enough to know when I need to redirect my thoughts, times when I become crabby over my job, or the news, or my family... when my mind is drawing itself to the false, dishonorable, unjust, impure, hideous, reprehensible, inferior, or condemnable. And while I don’t want to think about these antonyms to what Paul is suggesting, I can’t simply say to myself, “Don’t think about those negative things;” because the human mind will immediately then begin thinking about just that. No, I can’t somehow attempt to stop my thoughts, but instead I need to replace them--replace them and think about the litany of attributes Paul prescribes. I need to think about things that are honorable, just, commendable, and loving. I should think about Lester more.
Several years after that day in the hospital I attended Lester’s funeral. It was an appropriate funeral for a man who would have wanted us to celebrate him not as a source of truth, purity or love… but rather as a reflection of them. My hope is that someday when someone else needs to think of these qualities (or even just one of them), they will think of me and how I strive to reflect God in that way. But I know that to become that person, I first need to think of these things myself… to be changed by them… to look around and be reminded of all the wonderful attributes of our Creator. These beautiful reminders are all around us. A lovely sunset. A pure white snow. Excellent service. Or even a senior living facility.
Chris Sommer is Executive Pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, a partner of The Carver Project.