Remember the Best and Forget the Rest

[Remember the Best and Forget the Rest]( Current Teaching Series [You Make Me Crazy]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Remember the Best and Forget the Rest]( By Rick Warren — 05/23/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Philippians 4:8 (The Message) What do you choose to remember about the time you’ve spent with people? Do you remember the good experiences or the bad experiences? The apostle Paul chose to remember the good, to focus on the positive, and to be thankful. He said to the Christians in Philippi, “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse” (Philippians 4:8 The Message). Paul did not have an easy time in Philippi. Acts 16 tells us that, when Paul went to Philippi, he was illegally arrested, whipped, humiliated, and thrown into prison before finally being asked to leave town. Yet he thanked God for his time with the Philippians. Paul could have dwelt on the negative. He could have recalled the painful memories. But he chose to stop focusing on the painful things. Instead, he remembered the things he could be grateful for. You can make a similar decision with the people in your life. Stay in relationship with someone long enough and you’re bound to hurt each other. Maybe you’ve been hurt in the past by a parent’s short-tempered response or a friends thoughtless word. Are you still holding on to that hurt? Does it keep you from enjoying that person today? If so, you’re focusing on the negative. I’m not saying that you should deny your hurts or excuse the weaknesses in other people. That is psychologically unhealthy. And, of course, abusive relationships are a different story. But in normal, relatively healthy relationships, you can choose to focus on the good. You can choose to remember the other person’s strengths. I hear wives say, “He’s a good man, but . . . ” (and I hear husbands say the same about their wives). Anytime you hear “but,” it means the emphasis is on the negative and not the positive. But the fact is, Mr. and Mrs. Perfect don’t exist. In your relationships, choose to enjoy what you have. And to enjoy someone, you have to focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses. With some people, that takes a lot of creativity! But you can find something good in everyone. And when you think about your past, remember that pleasant memories are a choice. Follow the example of the apostle Paul and choose to emphasize what you can be thankful for. In both your past and your present, choose to be grateful for the good in people. Choose to remember the best and forget the rest. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What painful memories have kept you from fully showing love to someone? Spend time today in prayer. Ask God to help you let go of those memories and move on with your life. - What about that person (who caused the painful memories) can you be grateful for? - In what current relationship do you need to focus on the other person’s strengths and not their weaknesses? The post [Remember the Best and Forget the Rest]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get the You Make Me Crazy Study Kit when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( You probably have a relationship that could drive you crazy if you let it! Whether it’s a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, sibling, parent, or co-worker, a "crazymaker" can really make life difficult. Discover how you can do more than just survive, and actually thrive in these hard relationships with Pastor Rick’s, You Make Me Crazy study kit. This six-session DVD and workbook study shares biblical wisdom to help you navigate the kinds of relationships that drag you down and leave you feeling drained. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 8 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series You Make Me Crazy. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Six Keys to Peace in Relationships Message 2: Who's Pushing Your Buttons? Message 3: Resolving Conflict Message 4: Finding the Love of Your Life Message 5: Breaking Free from Abuse Message 6: Escaping the People Pleaser Trap Message 7: Keeping the Crazymakers from Making You Crazy Message 8: How to Keep Your Marriage Growing [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2021 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States