Read: Philippians 4:8
“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.”
Understand:
- In a nutshell, what things should we allow to consume our thoughts?
- Think for a minute about this. Why do you think God gives us this guidance?
Listen: As I have pointed out on numerous occasions, I love to read the works of C.S. Lewis. It isn’t only his nonfiction that has lessons for us; his fiction can deliver a profound message that is simply impossible not to get. My children have laughed at me in the past because at the end of one of “The Chronicles of Narnia” books, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I cried. I cried over a mouse. Seriously. I’m so not going to tell you what happened or why I cried over this mouse (If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you simply must!) But, what this movie did was ignite my imagination of the realization of heaven and how amazing it is going to be. I think that’s one of the best things about Lewis’ books; they bring to life imagination.
In our scripture verse for today, God tells us to think of things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Now, when you read – or watch – any of “The Chronicles of Narnia” books, you might just think that they are great fairy tales. That’s okay but what is the point of fairy tales anyway? They are so much more than just entertaining. If you did a little research on fairy tales, you would find that many people agree that fairy tales simply inspire imagination. It is this imagination that drives our world to become better, whether it is from searching for cures to diseases or designing new technology, imagination is a must-have in our world. However, there is also something that cannot be overlooked with fairy tales. Think of how a fairy tale develops and how it ends. Most of the time, you will see that someone goes through a hard time or is brought to the realization of the importance of helping others or that true love is found and is based upon something more than just outward beauty. (Can I get a shout-out for Beauty and the Beast?) What a fairy tale does is take those things in the world that are just yucky and turn them into something beautiful. They give better perspective on things that matter in this world and condemn those things which are evil. You know how many fairy tales end: “And they lived happily ever after?” Happily ever after means there has to be a happy ending. Something good came from the bad that had been all-consuming. Doesn’t this make you question why adults stop reading fairy tales? Couldn’t we just use a little bit of a happy ever after in our lives?
C.S. Lewis stated one time, “Someday, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” Isn’t this so true? As children, we believe! We see beauty and want to use our imaginations. We might not even know what we are using them for but there is that desire to think on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Why do we stop looking for those things as adults? Maybe, just maybe, it’s time we started reading fairy tales again.
Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, You have given us the ability to create awesome things with our imagination. Please help us to remember what it was about fairy tales that inspired us to like them so much as children. Help us to go back to seeking out those things that are truly inspirational, remembering the guidance You gave us in Philippians 4:8. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
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