Fixing Your Thoughts on Lovely
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8, NLT)
The apostle Paul reminds us to feed our inner world with things that are lovely. The word used by Paul for lovely in the original Greek language meant those things that are pleasing and truly beautiful.
It is important to note that he didn’t use the word “attractive.”
Paul was talking about the kind of virtue that makes a person beautiful.
You’ve met people like that, haven’t you?
The first time you met them, they may not have been physically attractive by the world’s standards, but the more you got to know them and saw the virtue of who they are, the more they became one of the most beautiful people you’ve ever met. They even began to appear more physically attractive than when you first met them.
And then there’s the opposite. You met someone for the first time or saw them from a distance, and physically, they were very attractive. But as you got to know them, heard them, watched how they did life and interacted with people, they became less and less attractive – even physically – to your eyes.
Let me tell you about one of the most beautiful women I ever knew. But first, let me describe her in purely worldly terms.
When I first met her, she was old and wrinkled, nearly blind. She only had one eye resulting from running with a pair of scissors as a child, tripping, and then the scissors piercing one of her eyes. Her family was too poor to do anything about it cosmetically.
She was overweight.
She wore dentures.
She sometimes had difficulty remembering things.
She didn’t have a name that shows up on most popular baby names lists and probably never will (her name was Pearla).
But now let me describe her in terms of virtue.
She accepted me and loved me from the moment she met me. Grace dripped off of her. I never witnessed her feeling sad—she was always happy and joyful. I never heard her complain or be cross with anyone. I don’t recall seeing even a single frown or scowl on her face, only a smile.
She talked about Jesus and going to Heaven a lot. She would also talk about what she learned in her daily Bible readings in a devotional called “The Upper Room,” which she used from her Methodist church. Sometimes she would get so excited about Jesus and Heaven that she would clap her hands and almost bounce off the couch like a five-year-old being told they were going to Disneyworld.
I knew her as Grandma Gerald. She was my wife Susan’s grandmother.
She is now with her Jesus in Heaven, but I can tell you that to this day, every time I think of her face or see a picture of her face, I see one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever known. And I can’t help but smile and be filled with such fondness for her.
Paul was right. Thinking about such things – such people – does the soul good. Today, maybe Pearla – someone who was truly, truly lovely – could be one of those things. Or maybe you have someone like her of your own who comes to mind. Either way, “fix your thoughts.”
And bring them to mind.
James Emery White
Photo Courtesy: ©Susan White
Published Date: June 5, 2025
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
Originally published June 05, 2025.
