Some thoughts about light and truth:
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. Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9
Sometimes I like to look back over a week and ask myself, “What was it that got people’s attention?” and, “What did people read the most, comment on the most, share the most?”
This week it was my essay about our visit to the First Presbyterian Church of Rocky Mount (A Scottish Blessing) – one of many pots in the ongoing series “Rebekah and Derek Go to Church.”
Why it is, I wonder, that certain subjects pick up more interest? Part of the answer is that people like to read about themselves – meaning that a lot of the hits likely came from staff or members of the church in question.
The other part of the answer is revealed in the above photograph, “Light flooding the kitchen in Maul-Hall.” People are, quite simply, attracted to the light.
Attracted to the light:
This is why I have always pushed back against the longstanding theory that “Bad news sells better.” Or, “If it bleeds it leads.” No, I don’t think so!
My conviction is that if news editors shone the light on the goodness that is all around us (rather than pandering to their favorite politicians and concentrating on the outrageous, the criminal, the scandalous and the salacious, if they would simply share the good news story of day-to-day life – the stories that are encouraging, cooperative, charitable, service-oriented, non-partisan and mutually encouraging) then maybe more people would be willing to take a risk on being selfless and decent themselves.
And then, maybe, less people would act out in response to the slanted and patently false notion that we are all ready to fight our neighbors and slander one another and sacrifice all the ideals we believe in – just to make sure that the country leans a little more to the right – or to the left – if we even know what that means for our day-to-day lives as free Americans?
I believe people are attracted to the light because, as Jesus said, “Truth equals freedom” (John 8:31-32)!
People want to know what is true, and the truth is that, despite those acting in bad faith, we still live in an amazing nation and on this beautiful planet. At its heart America is not so conflicted as those with dark hearts want us to believe, and most of us still crave the flood of light that comes with honesty, and accountability, and the spiritual discipline of service, of unconditional love and of putting others first.
The words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4 resonate with me on every level. “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.”
All that is true. All that is pure. All that is lovely. All that is worthy of praise.
It is still true that we live in an amazing nation, full of truth and light and goodness. So let’s shine the light on that why don’t we!
Because “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5).
John of course was talking about Jesus. Now that is some goodness to be shining a light on! – DEREK
All that is true. All that is pure. All that is lovely. All that is worthy of praise.
Sounds like you’re saying to just bury your head in the sand.
There is a battle going on and the left is turning towards communism and if you ignore the truth of that, then you get what you vote for. Keep an eye on New York.
It’s OK, I vote conservative and the Democrats can keep calling me a nazi and fascist while they facilitate the killing of unborn children, which is only a mere tragedy, right?
Not burying our heads in the sand so much as taking a more realistic viewpoint than the extremist ranting that tends to feed the news cycles. It is obvious that most people to the left of middle are not communist any more than most people to the right of middle are fascist. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have great ideas as well as dumb ones. And, most importantly, it is okay to disagree on stuff. Most of us are closer to one another than the divisive rhetoric would suggest… which is my point.