What are you spending your time focusing on?

At some point in the month of September -- way back in 1994 -- I woke up and got ready to go to school for the first day of my senior year of high school. I don’t recall if my mom called out for me to come to the backyard or if I heard something in the backyard, but I remember heading out there and seeing a live opossum. This opossum had fallen off the fence and somehow impaled herself through her pouch and up her leg on a sturdy but skinny branch, with no way to escape. I remember feeling quite sorry for her, not knowing what to do, and eventually animal control coming to rescue her.

Now, I am not sharing this story with you to paint a sad and possibly gruesome picture for you; but rather, to set the stage for my walk to school -- yes, senior year and no car. As I walked to school that morning, perhaps with just a hint of superstition brought on by immaturity, I thought to myself, what does this mean? Does this suffering opossum appearing in my backyard the morning of the first day of my senior year mean that I am going to have a terrible year? Is this a sign that bad things are to come?

Unlike my misplaced worries and transient concerns related to that opossum, this year students faced very real worries and concerns; therefore, as we transitioned into finals and then into summer, it was imperative to remind them that our worries, regardless of the source, are both quite real and absolutely unique, unlike those of anyone else as they are brought on by our own experiences and our own personal history. Uniformly, however, they are also temporary. With the passage of time, we are able to look back at ourselves, our choices, and those things that brought about feelings of apprehension and fear. Quite often, when we do take time to look back and reflect, we compare our current reality to that of the past, sometimes even gently laughing at our past selves.

In chapter 4 of Philippians, Paul shares, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 6-7). If we consider this verse without context, it can be difficult to obey, because, in the moment, we do often find ourselves worrying and failing to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Fortunately for us, this verse does not exist in isolation. The verse is followed by some of the best advice imaginable for controlling our fears and apprehension, The following verses read, “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” (v. 8-9).

When we only consider our feelings of worry and doubt, perhaps even in a misguided attempt to rid ourselves of those same feelings, we are doing ourselves a disservice. We are spending time concentrating on the problem rather than the solution. The Lord invites us to give our anxiety, worries, and fear to Him and instead focus on honorable, just, lovely, commendable, and excellent things. Personally, in reflecting on these verses in the midst of COVID-19, I believe the Lord invites me to think of my daughters and the additional memories I am building with them through the time I would not otherwise have, to think about my wife, and the added time we have for stories, humor, and communication, to think of our students and teachers, and their courageous approach to this reality.

As we look forward to the remaining weeks of summer and a new school, let us join together in praying to the Lord, and asking Him to take on the burden of our anxiety, worries, and fears. Let us pray for Him to encourage us to focus on the many positives both before us and around us at this time. Let us praise Him for His eternal love for us and the care He has for each of us. To God be the glory, honor, and adoration!