Focus

Philippians 4:1-9

I know I've mentioned the passing of our constant companion and friend of 15 years before. Our cat, Muffin, was truly a blessing to our home and is still missed by both my wife and me. We could always count on her snuggling up to us on cold nights or giving us a laugh with her frisky cat energy. Although the times we grieve are fewer, we do miss her dearly at times.

We still have 2 more pets; another cat whose name is Poindexter, and a dog whose name is Mocha. We love them very much and spend as much time with them as possible. They are old as well, with Mocha being around 12 and Poindexter about 13. Soon it will be time for them to pass on as well. Sometimes it makes our heart ache when we watch how difficult it is for them to walk, or not be able to jump as high as they used to. But we tend not to focus on those things.

Instead we focus on being with them in the present moment. We laugh when our dog gets so excited she slides around the floor when she tries to run, we welcome Poindexter when it seems he needs a little extra love and comes between us for cuddles, and we watch them as they take naps, knowing we are truly blessed to have them in our lives.

Those are the kind of things we choose to focus on in our lives; the things which bring us peace, happiness, and keep hope alive. This is not to say that we live a life of only pure joy, but instead of focusing on the negative we look for ways to work through them so they don't rule our thoughts and actions.

Paul reminds us that sometimes things don't look good for us, that sometimes we have to get through the things which are dividing us from our relationships. He mentions the community coming together to help two of their own find an agreement between whatever might be coming between them. It would seem that in this passage, the beginning of his final greeting to the church in Philippi, Paul is asking the church community to be focused on the things which bring them joy and peace, not on the things which separate them from God, one another, or themselves.

Paul reminds us that when we focus on the things which our Christ Jesus focused on - unity through love and justice - we will find ways to get through the difficult times in our lives and into a place where the light will shine through the darkness.