Wouldn't it be loverly?

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely..." (Philippians 4:8)

One of my favorite musicals is My Fair Lady. The lovely, Audrey Hepburn in the lead, and Sir Rex Harrison as her talking counterpart. Note: I think this was the first musical I watched where one of the major leads did not actually sing. He rhythmically talked. I'm not sure what the proper term is for this. Help! I got it. He was a rapper before there was a category. 

I've been thinking about the words of Eliza Doolittle lately: 

"All I want is a room somewhere
Far away from the cold night air
With one enormous chair
Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?

Lots of chocolate for me to eat
Lots of coal making lots of heat
Warm hands, warm face, warm feet
Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?

You're singing with a really bad British accent right now, aren't you?

And on this cold barely above zero day all God's people said, "Amen!" 

Language wise, "loverly" is a complimentary adverb connected to a verb of being describing the emotion felt in association with the subject "it" above. Whew! Hey...you may be asked to parse an English sentence coming out of brain surgery someday. You'll thank me later. Paul, however, was asking us to think adjectively (describing the noun itself) but its a good place to start. 

What is "lovely"? (You're still pronouncing it "lov-e-ly" aren't you?). I know that my mind runs immediately to the physical - a lovely person, a lovely personality. We might think of a piece of art or a musical score. I think of my yard after a fresh cut...a swept and tidy garage...my car after a good wash and hand wax...an edible arrangement of chocolate covered...(it doesn't matter). Loverly. A sunrise, a sunset, the stars on a clear night, a double rainbow... My wife, my girls, and their families around our dining room table...

When I think about "lovely" I am associating it with things that please my eyes, that bring a sense of joy, satisfaction, or appreciation. I wonder if this is what I'm supposed to be thinking of?

I wonder how a blind person would answer this?

I read a book on art from a Christian perspective. I'll never forget what the author said. "Art, true art, is that which is created to please and bring glory to God." Is this what Paul is suggesting I do?

Perhaps this is the key. It's not about being pretty by societies' standards but finding what is lovely in things and people that bring glory to God. Prostitutes and tax collectors and other sinners...the deformed, the degenerate, the disgusting...made by God, made in the image of God, made for the pleasure of God. 

After all, didn't God do this when He created the sunrise, the sunsets, the stars, the flowers...you... and me? All for His glory. All for His pleasure. 

Think on these things...

Wouldn't it be loverly?