Positive Thinking

Do you ever get so hung up on something that it's all you can think about? Something that upset you or worries you or hurt you? I realized the other day that I seem to have this problem a lot. Somehow I get consumed by whatever is going on or happened to me in my life and I can't seem to get over it and move on. Now, of course I realize that for practical reasons this is not healthy. But there's more to it than that. This is not how God expects me to spend my time and my energy. Philippians 4:8 states, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

When I get upset and worked up about something that made me mad, or someone who hurt me, or something I am stressed about, God gets upset! These things are not honorable, or pure, and certainly not lovely! And yet, how much of my time do I waste worrying about why someone did what they did, or said what they said? What could I possibly gain from focusing on the things that hurt me?

Please understand, I am not about to go off on some new-age tirade about how "we are what we think," or how "every person is the creation of himself, the image of his own thinking and believing." (Seriously, what does that even mean?) I am not writing a self-help post to teach you how to take control of your thoughts and focus on the "positive energy" in the universe. There are a lot of false teachers out there leading people astray from the truth, teaching that there is a secret to thoughts that will somehow "attract" money and good health to you like a magnet or that controlling your thoughts will bring some false "inner peace." These teachings are not truth and are not found in scripture.

BUT, scripture does say that we are to think about things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. This is what God expects of us. He does not promise wealth, health, or even necessarily happiness, in exchange for thinking good thoughts. He simply says, "This is what your mind should focus on." This has been a hard lesson for me, because I have been truly convicted. I get so emotional, and so upset by something that was said, or someone who hurt me, and I think about it over and over. I think about why it happened, wallow in self-pity, and what I should do or say about it. Instead, I should focus on the things of God. I should think about the truth of scripture, or the many wonderful ways people have treated me, and taken care of me. I should think about all the reasons I have to praise God. And believe me, there are many! Many more than all the negative thoughts that fill my head, that's for sure!

So today, I am committing myself to surrender such thoughts to God the minute they pop into my head, and find something pure and lovely to focus on instead. This can truly be a challenge sometimes, but it is what God commands in His word, and therefore, what I will strive for.