Philippians 4
By Pastor Steve
Whatever!
If you have talked to young people in the last 5 or 6 years, you have heard a very common term— Whatever! Whatever is a term that some young people use when they are in a disagreement with someone, when the person doesn’t want to do something, or maybe when a person just doesn’t want to hear what someone else has to say to them or about them. Sometimes choreography is attached to the statement as well. Often times when I hear a person say Whatever I will also see the palm of a hand held up toward the person who is receiving the Whatever! The hand and the term present the mindset that “I am not going to listen to you.” I am offering you a short little Youtube video of a mom teaching her little girl the fine art of the Whatever!
Click here to view Youtube Video
It’s very interesting to me that parents would want to teach a child how to live in disagreement with others at such an early age. In all reality, to me at least, most of the times when I hear that term used it’s used as a rebuke. Sometimes it’s used in jest, but when it’s used seriously, it’s used to rebuke someone.
Now, I want to flip the coin of the Whatever over. As Paul was closing out his letter to the Philippians he said: “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. And the God of peace will be with you.”
When I think about how we are called to live our lives for Christ, it’s not to rebuke someone but rather to build others up in the Lord. I think that the Whatever of the follower of Christ should be more like Paul’s admonition. Whatever I can possibly do for you, I will. Whatever I can do to help others, I will. Whatever I can do to show the love of Christ to others, I will. Whatever I can do to serve God, I will. Whatever I can do to serve the church, I will. Whatever I can do to encourage others, I will. Whatever…you can fill in the rest of the whatever’s in your life. But whatever you do, remember that the Lord sees and hears all of the Whatever’s you will ever utter.
