What were you doing this past Monday afternoon? Were you one of the millions of Americans who dawned a pair of “eclipse safe glasses” or a homemade version and stared up at the sun?
Why were we inundated with warnings of severe eye damage if we stared too long at the eclipsed sun? It’s because prolonged exposure of the sun to our retinas will cause irreversible damage to our sight, and the scary part was that we wouldn’t feel a thing.
That got me thinking.
Scripture is full of similar warnings, but more often than not, we believe what our culture is saying instead.
We believe that because we may not feel anything, it’s ok. Because others are doing it, it’s ok. But is that true?
Philippians 4:8-9 says,
“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. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
What if every morning we got up and put on our “whatever glasses?”
Ok, bear with me…I know this is sounding cheesy, but hear me out.
In this passage, Paul exhorts and even warns us to filter our thoughts through these “whatever glasses.”
Whatever is…
True
Honorable
Just
Pure
Lovely
Commendable
Excellent
Worthy of praise
So often I don’t even realize, until it’s too late, that I’ve been thinking of things and thus doing or saying things that would not be filtered through these “whatever glasses.” But this is where we see a big difference between the effects of staring at the sun without protection and allowing things into our minds and hearts without first filtering them through scripture.
Effects of staring at the sun are permanent and can’t be undone. But effects of seeing, thinking, saying or doing things that are not pleasing to the Lord can be forgiven; His love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).
The more often we remember to keep these “whatever glasses” on, the more like Christ we will become! We can’t expect to grow in our fellowship with the Lord if we are consistently letting the world dictate what we allow into our minds and hearts.
So before you open up your eyes, ears, hands and mouth, prayerfully ask yourself if it will pass through the “whatever glasses.” Will it help you love the Lord and others more?
That song so many of us learned as children in Sunday school is still so applicable and vital today…
“Oh be careful little eyes (ears, hands, mouth) what you see (hear, touch, say), oh be careful little eyes what you see. For the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little eyes what you see.”