Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
May 13, 2024
This Week's Anchor
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
Some years ago, a dear undergraduate colleague shared wise words that stayed with me. At the time, this colleague stated their prayer to God, “Help me to see the good in everything so that I can praise you through anything.” What a powerful message and reminder it was then and continues to be. When it feels like life throws everything at us, we can easily fall into the trap of only seeing the negative. I’ve found myself in this headspace from time to time. Feeling overwhelmed in different areas of our lives often translates to us taking beautiful moments for granted. However, our anchor scripture this week along with the wisdom of my colleague invite us to adjust our focus and redirect our attention.
This week’s scripture empowers us to not only search for goodness in our lives but to meditate on the things that bring pure joy. The verse following this scripture encourages that when we connect with and emulate the goodness of Jesus, the peace of God will be with us (v. 9). Although most of us can agree that God’s unexplainable peace is powerful and deeply desired, adjusting our lenses to see God’s goodness can feel like a tall order. So, how exactly can we evoke this heart posture in our lives? Here are a few things that can help us shift our perspective:
Pause and slow down—I know I say it all the time, but I cannot reiterate it enough. Sometimes what we need to do is to actually do less. It’s difficult to notice hardly anything when we are overworked, overtired, over-busy, and overwhelmed. Furthermore, when we move through our daily lives hastily, we run the risk of missing the moment. Life usually comes at us fast, but we can slow down. Not only can we pause by resting, giving ourselves more space to reflect, and being more present in our everyday experiences, but we can also slow our minds down when we sense that we are spiraling into negativity. [Read this article for more inspiration on navigating moments of feeling overwhelmed]
Acknowledge what’s difficult—I don’t ever want to promote the message of baseless optimism that’s rooted in toxic positivity. Life is hard. There’s no slicing or spinning that reality, and we aren’t called to ignore this truth. Countless scriptures echo the sentiments of how challenging this journey of faithful living can be. If no one else will validate that for us, we can validate our experiences ourselves. Ignoring, denying and/or shaming our real experiences at times can cause more pain than the experiences themselves. Alternatively, being compassionately honest with ourselves about the gravity of our experiences can be mentally and emotionally liberating and can set the foundation for adjusting how we view our lives.
Consider the hidden goodness—In more specific transparency, I’ve found myself feeling burned out as a parent in my present season. Even amid the recent celebration of Mother’s Day, there are moments when the weight and exhaustion of motherhood feel inescapable. And as the true empath I am, these feelings are often followed by guilt from considering my privilege of parenthood and all the individuals in the world who would give up everything to have this experience. In these moments, when I feel the rush of all these emotions, my daughter will often do or say something that makes my heart smile, and I feel convicted into appreciation and gratitude. This gratefulness doesn’t cancel the challenges of parenting (because trust me, I live with a 4-year-old, so just as quickly as she shares tenderness, a meltdown can follow). However, in the same vein, the challenges don’t have to cancel out the goodness either. In fact, they can all co-exist. This brings us to another mindset that can help us shift our perspective…
Embrace the balancing act—We need not feel guilty or ashamed for our true feelings and emotional reactions to challenging life experiences, and we don’t have to feel trapped in them either. Throughout our lives, we will ebb and flow between moments of feeling angry/discouraged/depleted/etc. and moments of feeling open/confident/re-energized/etc. This moment-to-moment shift can happen across months, weeks, days, or even seconds/minutes. We are constantly balancing between affirming what’s true for us amid a particular experience while also holding space for a deeper Truth beyond our daily trials.
Lean not on our own capabilities—What I love about my colleague’s wise words is that he starts with, “Help me to see…”. I imagine some of you are reading this devotion and thinking to yourself, “I can barely get out of bed each morning, where on earth do I find the energy to seek the goodness in what I’m going through?” We see you; you aren’t alone; and Beloved, you are correct. If we depend on our own human capabilities to engender the strength needed to shift our perspective, we will certainly not succeed. But thank goodness, it’s not our strength and understanding that we lean on, but God’s. When we find ourselves lost in our troubles, struggling to see the light within the tunnel, we can humbly ask the Holy Trinity to help us see and feel the goodness of the Lord.
In slowing down and inviting the Holy Trinity to help us shift our perspective, we open our ability to connect with deeper meaning and purpose in our everyday lives. That annoying flight cancellation can all of a sudden become an invited work delay; that screaming child can become a valuable life lesson on patience; that unplanned hospital visit can challenge us to take better care of ourselves; that unexpected conversation can give us a different outlook on life; that diagnosis can empower us to live and enjoy it; that relationship ending can introduce us to a new version of ourselves that we didn’t even know could exist; and that job termination can open the door for us to reprioritize our life and refocus our passions. It rarely happens overnight, nevertheless, with self-patience and perseverance, we can evolve our ability to see life differently.
This week, I offer the prayer of my dear colleague for each of us. Despite what this week throws at us, may God lead us to connect with moments of joy and purpose so that we can remember His promises, honor His provision, and bask in His peace.
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What aspects of your life could use a different perspective? How can the Holy Trinity help you see the goodness in your current life experiences?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Daniel 2:23
Psalm 23
Psalm 27
Psalm 31:19-20
Lamentations 3:22-36
Romans 8:28; 12:2
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
Oprah Winfrey
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