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 every situation, 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9 NIVUK
Introduction
In the 1990s, the alternative rock band The Cranberries had a massive breakthrough hit called 'Zombie'. It wasn't about the undead. The singer Dolores O'Riordan was writing about the effect sectarian hatred and violence was having on the minds of the people in her native Northern Ireland. In the song she asks over and over again the question "What's in your head?"
I come from the West of Scotland. We have marches that commemorate battles lost and won around three hundred years ago. The way people behave, you'd think they happened last week.
Dolores was absolutely right. What happens in our head matters.
So the question is: what's in your head? What are you thinking about? What are you mulling over constantly? What crosses your mind when no-one else is around?
Paul wrote these words to a church that he was fond of, but which had huge struggles both inside and outside. Outside, they were being persecuted - both their freedom and citizenship were at risk, as well as potentially their lives. Internally, they were being split apart by two people with apparently strong personalities. Hence Paul's appeal for right attitudes in Philippians 2:1-11, his appeal for them simply to stop arguing in 2:14 and his appeal in 4:2 for them to be "of the same mind".
Beset by problems without and within, this church needed some help. So Paul wrote to them about something we might find unusual - their minds. But battles are often played out and simulated and analysed in our minds long before they take place in reality, and sometimes for a long time afterwards too.
We are also facing circumstances where our minds are important. Assaulted with facts - most of them negative, with conspiracy theories and with tetchy people and politicians, our minds have become a crucial battleground. More than that, as we consider these verses, we need to remember that there is a crucial connection between our mental health and our physical health. I don't believe that any of us wants to be sick. Of course not! But good mental health is just as important for our overall health as eating properly and getting plenty of exercise. Paul provides here five traits of good mental health which, if we cultivate them, will help us fight back against infection.
In my next post, we will look at the first of these traits: JOYFULNESS.
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