Monday, September 15, 2008

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Whatever

This little word, "whatever," has become very popular lately.  People young and old use it as a response to other people, and depending on the way it is said, it can communicate anything from agreement to total disregard to mild displeasure to absolute indifference.  According to Webster, the word "whatever" means "anything and everything."  Wow, a word that means everything and anything, that seems to be a handy word.  If it means anything and everything else, we would only need one word to describe our entire world.  Whatever.  Whatever can be a positive word and a negative word.  It can suggest agreement when the opposite it true.  It can be, well, whatever.  A good word and a dangerous word at the same time because it must refer to something else for it to mean anything at all.

The Bible uses this word because of the fact that it is all-inclusive.  Whatever.  Anything and Everything.  Nothing excluded.

"Finally, brothers, 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" (Philippians 4:8-9).

When we allow our  "whatever" to be negative, anything and everything in our lives will also be negative.  Whatever we sow, we will also reap (Galatians 6:7).  Which is why our "whatever" is so important.  Paul says that we are to think about whatever — anything and everything — is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.  Why should we think about such things?  Isn't the more significant question, why we would bother wasting our time thinking about their opposites?  What do we fill our minds with?  One of the ways of translating Proverbs 23:7 says, "for as he thinks within himself, so he is," or to paraphrase, "You become what you think!"  If you think about good things, you will reap good things from the good sown.  If you think negative thoughts, the reverse will be true.  Think how important your whatever, your anything and everything, really is.

And, as we think in new, more positive ways, we will not only think better, but we will also begin to act better.  Paul says that not only are we to think about such things, we are to put them into practice.  However, if we do not pay attention to whatever we are thinking, we will act unconsciously in ways that are not always positive.  Haggai says, "Give careful thought to your ways" (Haggai 1:5).  Pay careful attention to your whatever — to whatever thoughts you are thinking and to whatever actions are lived out in your life as a result.

So think about your whatever.  We all have one.  It is our anything and everything.  Is it true?  Is it noble, of highest character?  Is it right, not just legal or possible?  Is it pure, 100%?  Is it lovely?  Is it admirable, so that other people want it too?  Is it excellent?  Is it worthy of the praise of God and other people?  Think about your whatever and I will think about mine.  Could my whatever be better?  What do you think? 

If I think better and act accordingly, my whatever, the anythings and everythings that I do today, will be not just whatever, they will be what God wants and desires — my best and yours too!  As we think in our hearts, so we become.  Whatever can become not something that restricts us but open to see and experience the whatever — the anything and everything — of God!

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