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| Our overnight event for the youth group, "Guard your Heart," took place Nov. 26-27. Here the teens are broken up into groups to discuss the testimonies that were shared. |
I never thought I'd have to answer that infamous future plans question again after high school.
I also never thought I'd have been a missionary, so I guess God has a funny sense of humor.
One of the leaders of the youth group was asking me questions about what my life would look like when I returned to the United States. She asked questions like: "Where will you work?" "Where will you live?" "What church will you go to?" "How long will you stay with your parents?" "Will you continue doing ministry?" To each of her questions, all I could do was laugh and tell her that there are many things in my life right now that I don't have answers to.
"But the funny thing is," I told her, "even without those answers, the peace and certainty that this is the right decision never goes away--it is a peace that surpasses all understanding."
I tucked the conversation away and didn't think much about it again until I began experiencing a series of life and ministry events that could easily turn someone into an emotional basket case.
There have been heartbreaking disappointments on our youth group leadership team. There is the normal heaviness of saying goodbye to the young men and women that I have been mentoring for two years and leaving behind a ministry I have watched grow from the baby stages. There is the sadness of saying goodbye to friends, church members and coworkers. There is the anxiety of uprooting a sense of security for a whole lot of unknowns. Sprinkle in some personal family drama and you got yourself one heavy heart.
As I tried to process through the emotions, I remembered that conversation.
I pulled out my Bible and started reading Philippians 4 from the beginning, and here is what I noticed:
1. The first thing Paul commands believers to do is STAND FIRM. There will be many times in ministry or in our personal lives when we are tempted to be carried away by overwhelming emotions. Paul knows our tendency to do this and so emphasizes the importance of getting our emotions under control and standing firm in the unchanging truth of who God is.
Paul makes a similar exhortation in Ephesians 6.
Paul begins in Ephesians 6:10 by explaining that we are constantly in a spiritual battle and we need to put on the full armor of God so that we can STAND FIRM against the schemes of the evil one.
"Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit--which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints" (v. 14-18).
2. The second thing Paul commands is that we REJOICE. He then even goes so far as to repeat himself. "I will say it again: Rejoice!" (v. 4). From personal experience, it is far too easy to focus on the negative things in ministry: the people who are falling away, the marriages that are ending, the sin issues, and the petty disagreements. We can so easily find that negativity is always on our lips, and for this Paul tells us twice to rejoice!
And it's not even just Paul who thinks rejoicing is a good idea, even modern science can't deny the psychological effects of gratitude.
Christina Costa in her TED Talk "How Gratitude Rewires Your Brain" said this: "There are several positive psychological and social outcomes of gratitude, like increases in happiness, decreases in depression, having stronger relationships and experiencing positive emotion. And fMRI studies show us that several parts of our brain and pathways are activated when we experience and show gratitude. One of these parts is the medial prefrontal cortex, an area associated with the management of negative emotions. Together, these changes in neurotransmitters and hormones combined with activated neural pathways, help us cognitively restructure potentially harmful thoughts to better manage our circumstances."
Either Paul was a time traveler or the Word of God is timeless.
3. Paul then commands us NOT TO WORRY about anything, but to TAKE EVERYTHING TO HIM IN PRAYER with THANKSGIVING. That means I can't worry about the future of the youth group, my family or any of the details of what my future is going to look like. I get to pray, not complain. I get to pray, not imagine every possible problem. I get to pray with thanksgiving and you know what happens when I do that? Paul tells us in verse 7: "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ."
Last weekend we did an overnight event at the church with the youth group. Our theme was "Guard your Heart" from Proverbs 4:23: "Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life."
Saturday and Sunday we emphasized what it looks like to guard your heart and why it is important. One common point: guarding your heart looks a lot like guarding your mind and thoughts because your thoughts influence your emotions. If you retrain your mind to focus on truth rather than lies, you have the power to rewrite your emotions.
When we go to God in prayer and thanksgiving, we no longer carry the burdens of life like they are ours alone to shoulder. The truth that God is in control replaces the lie that we are in control, and the peace of that guards our hearts and minds against becoming emotional basket cases whenever life gets crazy.
4. Paul again emphasizes the importance of our thoughts, this time commanding that whatever is TRUE, HONORABLE, JUST, PURE, LOVELY, COMMENDABLE, anything with MORAL EXCELLENCE, anything PRAISEWORTHY to DWELL on these things.
Normally I think of the word "dwell" as a negative word because normally we dwell on negative things: offensive comments, arguments, past mistakes, or anything outside of our control. So not only do we guard our minds against lies, but we guard our minds against the temptation to dwell on things that might be true but are not edifying to our souls.
I remember one specific night at discipleship group. A couple of the women opened the night with two news articles involving the abuse of children. Even though the topic changed and we eventually settled down to studying the Word, I could not stop thinking about those news articles. My heart felt so heavy and I couldn't get myself to be emotionally present with the women at the study.
It is not that we remove ourselves from the world or shut our ears to what is happening in this broken sinful world, but there are times when what is a very true and real thing in the world is not worth dwelling on.
5. Paul commands us to REMEMBER what we have learned so that the God of peace will be with us.
I love reading through my old journal entries because I am reminded of impactful sermons, lessons the Lord has taught me, or even problems the Lord has delivered me from that I completely forgot about.
When we remember those things of the past, our hope for the future is renewed because we know that God's character never changes.
6. Paul drives home the importance of CONTENTMENT.
"In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content--whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me" (v. 12-13).
What is Paul's secret to bulletproof contentment? Strength that comes from God. Strength that comes from the humility to ask for it when our flesh and spirit are weak. Through Christ, we have everything we need to be content in all circumstances.
7. Paul brings up the impact that ENCOURAGEMENT from other believers can have in our moments of hardship.
"I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me...For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my needs several times. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing to your account. But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided--a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (v. 10-19).
The body of Christ is a powerful tool when we use it the way God intended us to. Simple acts of encouragement when a fellow believer is walking through a difficult season of life can be a complete game changer for them.
Not only that but we are rewarded from God with "profit that is increasing to your account" when we have the humility to be others focused, and the irony is that when we become others focused our own needs are not neglected, but God Himself will provide for them.
So today if you find yourself weary and heavy laden, I pray that the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with your spirit" (v. 23).
You are loved and you are not alone,
S
