"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."
Philippians 4:8
i consistently get caught up in negative thoughts.
if someone cuts me off on the highway, my first reaction is to mutter, "what an idiot!!!"
or if i stub my toe or hit my head on a cupboard door, i automatically say, "that was stupid!"
if my boss belittles me at work, my inclination is to roll my eyes and get ridiculously angry, wishing i could quit my job.
or if i see a story online about some celebrity doing something embarrassing, i often want to read that article.
why do i do that? why does my mind dwell on the ugly things? why do i react so quickly in anger and irritation?
the Bible commands us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy... God KNOWS that we tend to dwell on the false, on the dishonorable, on the wrong, on the impure, on the ugly, on the deplorable, on the inferior, and on the shameful. so He told us how to change our thinking.
so today, i am challenging myself to think about the good stuff. this is NOT the same as 'positive thinking'. it doesn't mean i just think happy thoughts and push away the bad. that's not realistic OR right.
it means that when someone cuts me off on the highway, i do acknowledge that it was wrong, but i don't yell something bad at them, and maybe instead, i make a mental note to be careful how I, MYSELF, am driving to be sure that i don't do the same thing to others.
or when i hit my head, a simple "ouch" will do. no need to insult myself.
when i see a shameful-sounding story online, it means that i should probably skip it. it's not important, pure, OR praiseworthy to waste my time on it.
and the most difficult one, when my boss says something in a rude way at work, i should respond respectfully, and remember Colossians 3:23, which says, "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." i can still go to my boss and tell him that what he does offends me, but the rage and the disrespect are NOT to be part of my reaction.
i'm calling it "The Lovely Challenge" and i know it will be a big challenge for me. please won't you join me in challenging yourself to think on what God would have us think?
