OCTOBER 8, 2025

  “A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” 

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

ISAIAH 39-40

28Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

29He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

30Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint. (40:28-31)

PHILIPPIANS 4

 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, 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. 9Whatever 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.

JOURNAL 

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve returned to a simple meditation practice on my phone—a ten-minute exercise designed to help me quiet my thoughts and simply be. The program runs in thirty-day sequences, and I’m nearing the end of my second block. What’s surprising is how such a brief pause each day has begun to reawaken something deeper a sense of clarity, calm, and wonder.

This morning, during that stillness, I became aware of something as simple yet profound as breathing. There is oxygen in the air that, with every inhale, fills my lungs and is converted into life itself. My blood carries it throughout my body, fueling every organ, every cell, every heartbeat, and every spark of thought without any effort on my part. The mere act of typing these words, of translating thought into language, is a miracle hidden in plain sight.

We live in an age overflowing with modern marvels, technology, convenience, information at our fingertips, but none of it compares to the miracle of a living, breathing human being. We are, as Scripture reminds us, the crown of God’s creation. And yet, I so easily forget that truth. I fail to see others with the same awe I feel in these quiet moments. But if I did, if I truly viewed every person as a masterpiece of divine design, I would walk through this world in continual wonder and compassion.

Philippians 4 reminds me to dwell on all that is good, noble, pure, and lovely, to let my mind rest on the beauty God has placed before me. It is in this practice of noticing the good that peace begins to guard the heart. Gratitude, not control, becomes the foundation of joy.

And Paul’s words just a few verses later strike to the heart of it all:

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation...
I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11–13)

True strength, then, isn’t in striving but in seeing, in noticing the beauty God has already placed around and within us. Like Goethe’s invitation to daily encounter music, poetry, and art, Scripture calls us to let beauty soften our hearts and restore the part of us that the world too often hardens. When we pause long enough to notice, we find that the Creator still whispers through every breath: Be still. You are Mine.

11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13