{"id":1469,"date":"2023-12-09T15:34:08","date_gmt":"2023-12-09T23:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gracebod\/?p=1469"},"modified":"2023-12-09T15:34:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T23:34:08","slug":"whatever-is-admirable-my-teen-respectfully-took-a-stand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gracebod\/2023\/12\/whatever-is-admirable-my-teen-respectfully-took-a-stand\/","title":{"rendered":"Whatever is Admirable: My Teen Respectfully Took a Stand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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Did someone do something particularly admirable last week? When I went to my fave Swedish bakery, the barista noticed that I ordered my latte with oatmilk \u2013 and then asked me if I wanted oatmilk in my oatmeal, too. I hadn\u2019t even thought of that myself! That was\u2026 admirable. How do admirable things make us feel? Read on! Credit: Coco Cabrel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cDo not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.<\/span>\u00a0And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\u00a0<\/span>Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable<\/strong>\u2014if anything is excellent or praiseworthy\u2014think about such things.<\/strong>\u201d (Philippians 4:6-8 NIV bold mine)<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was admirable last week<\/h2>\n** ** **Admirable. There were plenty of things that I admired in the past week. For example:<\/p>\n \nWhen I learned from an admirable YouTube tutorial how to tie the perfect simple knot<\/a> \u2013 and then I tied such an admirable simple knot for my high school senior\u2019s scholarship finalist interview.<\/li>\nWhen the barista at my fave Swedish bakery<\/a> noticed that I asked for oat milk for me latte, and then she thought to ask me if I also wanted oat milk for my Swedish oatmeal \u2013 I told her that was so thoughtful and admirable.<\/li>\nWhen we went as a family to Krispy Kreme<\/a> (nope, no kickback here, those are simply the only donuts I\u2019ll eat), and as always, they cheerfully handed us those famous samples hot off the donut belt \u2013 I mean, that\u2019s always<\/em> admirable. #IYKYK<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n** ** But when I asked the Holy Spirit what I should write a whole article on \u201cwhatever is admirable,\u201d the immediate answer was:<\/p>\n ** That time when my teenage son asked me to remove the idolatrous symbols in our home.<\/strong><\/p>\n ** **\u00a0<\/p>\n The ask last year<\/h2>\n About a year ago, soon after my then-14-year-old son got baptized and I was still searching for Jesus, my son \u2013 I\u2019ll call him by his middle name, Henri \u2013 came into the kitchen one day with a stunning ask. He asked me to take down a ceramic tile of a hamsa<\/a>, a symbol that looks like a hand with an eye in the palm.<\/p>\n And also toss out a buddha<\/a> fountain in my balcony garden. And get rid of a brass bell that has some monkey-like handle that I don\u2019t even know what it is or where it came from.<\/p>\n I asked him why in a completely non-judgmental way; I truly wanted to know his reasoning because all along his journey to Christ, he has been able to state his reasons for this step or that step on his path.<\/p>\n He said he felt that they were being looked upon as idols in our home, and that God doesn\u2019t want us to worship any idols.<\/p>\n As Jesus said in one of his parables, \u201d \u2018Well done, good and faithful servant!\u201d Matthew 25:23a (NIV)<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n My rebuttal last year<\/h2>\n******* ** I countered, again in a completely non-judgmental way, \u201cBut we don\u2019t actually worship these things. They\u2019re just objects that we like artistically, and we like how they look. But we don\u2019t bow down to any of them. We just respect them from other cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n ** As soon as I said it, I knew.<\/p>\n ** That\u2026 was a lie.<\/p>\n ** I knew full well that I had collected these and other \u201cartistic\u201d items and used them as more than just \u201cfocal points\u201d for meditation. I was doing woo-woo \u201cgood witchy\u201d spells, and \u201casking the universe\u201d for prosperity.<\/p>\n ** And while I wasn\u2019t practicing any of the religions that \u201cofficially\u201d use these items, because I was depending on them<\/em> to get through life, well, they were<\/em> my idols. I was<\/em> worshipping them.<\/p>\n ** *******\u00a0<\/p>\n What was truly admirable last year (and still is)<\/h2>\n******* ** Henri stuck. Stood his ground. Repeated that the objects still seemed like idols to him.<\/p>\n ** And what was truly, truly admirable was the deep and unwavering respect that he showed me in the midst of his strong disagreement with me.<\/p>\n ** It was so crystal clear that he was standing firm with Jesus \u2013 and yet he was also clearly obeying God\u2019s command to respect me as his mother.<\/strong><\/p>\n ** It was so stunning and admirable \u2013 seriously, I stood there actually admiring my son \u2013 that I got rid of those objects and many more.<\/p>\n ** *******\u00a0<\/p>\n My bonus benefit\u2026 forever<\/h2>\n And you know what happened in the aftermath? As Apostle Paul encourages us, when we \u201cthink about such things\u201d<\/a> \u2013 feel free to review Paul\u2019s list for ridding yourself of anxiety, including thinking about admirable<\/em> things \u2013 so much of my background anxiety faded away. It was like chunks of weight lifted off my shoulders and tons of baggage released from my hands.<\/p>\n When Jesus said his \u201cburden is light,\u201d wow, so this is what he meant! (See Matthew 11:30b NIV)<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Reflective Response: Whatever is admirable for you?<\/h2>\n*********** ** Just take a few moments to review your week. List 3 things that happened that make you say, \u201cYeah, that was admirable.\u201d Or \u201cThat person really did an admirable thing.\u201d Or \u201cHmmm, I admire that, truly I do!\u201d<\/p>\n ** And now take note of how you feel inside as you allow all that admirable stuff to surround you and fill your mind and heart.<\/p>\n ** Do you feel like your burden has been lightened?<\/strong><\/p>\n ** I hope so!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ** ***********\u201cDo not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.\u00a0And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\u00a0Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5118,"featured_media":1493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[140,95,24,22],"class_list":["post-1469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-admirable","tag-anxiety","tag-paul","tag-philippians"],"yoast_head":"\nWhatever is Admirable: My Teen Respectfully Took a Stand<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Apostle Paul said whatever is admirable can replace anxiety. 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