Too many times I have heard a sad person say, “I can’t help how I feel.”
Sure you can!
I learned better during a particularly hard time in my life. I was driving 30 miles every morning, in heavy traffic, to a job I did not want to do. As I drove I thought of the bad things in my life. By the time I would get to work I would have a terrible case of discouragement or a sad heart or even depression.
As I was driving, one morning the solution to my recurring sad heart came to me. I realized I was not discouraged because of the bad things that happened, but because of what I was doing at the moment. This point is so important that I have to say it again. I realized I was not discouraged because of the bad things that happened, but because of what I was doing at the moment. What was I doing at the moment? I was reliving the old negative events!
Once I understood this profound thought I was able to overcome the problem. The way to stop my daily discouragement was to change what I allowed myself to think. Whenever I would catch myself ruminating on the negative things in life, I would purposefully and quickly change the subject of my thinking. Let’s hear that again. I would purposefully and quickly change the subject of my thinking.
When I stopped thinking about negative things, I quit being discouraged.
We are what we think about!
Paul wrote, “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…And the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil 4:8-9)
Surely there is something noble, something pure, something lovely in your life. Think about those things and they will crowd out the negative, sad thoughts. When you control what you think about, you will control how you feel. If you make yourself think about the good things, you will make your day better.
You will make your life better.
Lonnie Davis