Romanticize Your Life
Focusing on simple pleasures really does some good for the mind. A routine week can become delightful when you begin to celebrate small, daily beauties. Sometime within the past several years arose this trend of “romanticizing your life.” It’s all about making simple, uneventful, tedious, or even dreaded aspects of life more pleasant by framing them in more “romantic” (read: appealing) ways. For example, if the idea of studying for a college exam sounds pretty glum, one might romanticize the ordeal by focusing on the cozy corner they’ll sit in beneath the warm lamps of the library, with a cup of coffee and fresh ink pens and a thick, clean notebook while wearing a favorite soft hoodie.
I really love the joy and anticipation that results from romanticizing. What I really love is that romanticizing your life is supported by Scripture! This is what biblical romanticization looks like:
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. — Philippians 4:8
I love how this verse clearly outlines the things we should focus on - things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy. And we shouldn’t just focus on these things, we should meditate on them. Like tea in boiling water, we should steep our thoughts in goodness, purity, and truth until they are flavored and fragranced with them. We should chew on things that are noble, just, and lovely, savoring them over and over again like a good meal revisited. We mustn’t just filter out the bad, we must meditate on - ponder, reflect, study, dwell on - the good.
How have your thoughts been lately? What sort of attitude do you generally find yourself in? If your heart and mind seem to be clouded with negativity, can I invite you to embrace a Philippians 4:8 mindset? What things in your life are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy? If you can’t think of anything, here’s one thing that is true - God is true and His love for you is true, deep, and pure.
Maybe your school life or work life haven’t been great. What small things are going well that you could magnify, appreciate, and meditate on? You have a big, beautiful window that lets you gaze at the trees. Your commute to work isn’t ideal, but you get to drink your hot coffee and bop along to your worship playlist, watch the sun break over the mountains and spill through the sky. Your car becomes your sanctuary. Waking up early may be a daily dread for you (maybe not for us morning folks!). Meditate on the parts of your morning routine that bring you joy - the candle you light, the hot shower you melt into, the hushed silence of the house, the comforting familiarity of the coffee machine clicking to life. Dislike grocery shopping? Focus on how lovely all the sights and sounds of life are - rhythmic wheels against the industrial floors, the glossy fruit stacked high for your selection, the fragrant bakery section, the earthy scent of boxes, the bags of goods you get to bring home.
Ultimately, Philippians 4:8 is an invitation to place your eyes on God who is all these things to the fullest. God is true - there is no lie in Him (Numbers 23:19). God is noble - King of kings and Lord of lords (I Timothy 6:15). God is just (Psalm 89:14). God is pure and through Him we are refined (I John 3:2-3). God is lovely - exquisitely beautiful (Psalm 27:4). God is good and He bestows every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). God is the measure of virtue and He is the only One worthy of praise (I Chronicles 16:25-29).
As we focus on the things listed in Philippians 4:8, we are focusing on God. There is no greater way to “romanticize your life” than by focusing on Him. God in return gives us new vision, fresh purpose, restored joy, and a pure desire to live out His plan for our lives. He gives us new eyesight to actually see the beauty in the mundane. As you focus on God, God transforms you and the way you experience the world - His creation. It is a beautiful gift when you begin to see God in everything.
Let’s embrace the words of Philippians 4:8 together - romanticizing our lives through biblical truth, setting our eyes on God, and watching Him transform the way we see things. Life is so much more beautiful when we do things God’s way. I’ve been listening to this song lately as a reminder that God’s ways are so much better than our own.
Hope this encouraged you! XO Elise Chanelle