Today’s post is from a friend of mine who will be a regular contributor to the blog. She remains anonymous at her request. She writes this week on one of my favorite passages of scripture.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent
or praise-worthy – think about such things.
I set off on this morning’s muggy walk thinking about anxiety, prayer, and my thought life. I have struggled with anxiety at times, but am enjoying a season of relative peace. Contemplating my prayer life was convicting. As for my thought life, I have always wanted to make a quilt entitled “Whatever” based on v.8. I would love to contemplate “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praise-worthy” and turn it into a quilt.
Every morning’s walk isn’t hyper-spiritual. I spent most of my time today swatting bugs. The cloud of bugs surrounding me grew larger as I walked. It was great for my cardiovascular health as I walked faster and faster to try to escape the swarm. It was not so great for my meditation, though. I was nearly back to my house, furiously waving my hands about me, when I heard a rustling sound then some “clops.” I looked up and saw two very large deer run across the road ten feet in front of me.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, The bugs were my anxieties; I was so focused on them that I nearly missed the surprising beauty of the deer. God wants me to cast my cares on Him not just so that I am not burdened by them but so that I can focus on Him instead of I have many more thoughts about bugs, but I will write about them another My response to my morning’s walk is to let everything in my day be a prompt for prayer. My other response is to research insect repellant.
A Quilter's Heart 
Amen! Pray unceasingly!
Thank you for the reminder! I try, but often forget to appreciate all that’s around me, and in that appreciation is gratitude for all that I’ve been blessed with.