Think on These

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report;
if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things.”
Philippians 4:8

I am a worrier, a worst-case scenario kind of girl. I guess I have always thought if I prepare for the worst, then anything else will seem manageable. When I start thinking that way, my husband jokingly reminds me how ridiculous I’m being my saying something like, “and the HOUSE is going to FLIP OVER on us!” Yes, I’m that crazy sometimes. The problem with that is that these scenarios are all hypothetical, which means I absolutely can’t truly prepare, AND these kinds of thoughts just make me worry more. I used to have the craziest, most vivid nightmares, so even my subconscious was thinking this way.

For years I thought this way (I still do sometimes, but I’m doing much better!), and didn’t realize that it was largely due to what I was allowing myself to put in my head (tv, books, news), AND what I was allowing myself to think about. Sometimes real life is indeed sad and scary; there’s nothing I can do about that, and I don’t want to shield myself from the pain of others if there is any way I can help them. What I can do, though, is “capture” my bad thoughts and make a deliberate choice not to think those things. In even the saddest of situations, I believe there is something good that can be found if one looks hard enough. So I must choose to think on those good things, and not dwell on the bad.

On a day to day basis, I try to live this verse simply, too. I literally take time to stop and smell the roses on my way to the mailbox, and I was thrilled to see two of my daylillies finally open today. I cherish those moments in the evening when I lie down with my daughter in her bedroom and we talk about our day before she drifts off to sleep. I delight in all the fun moments I spend with my husband. I enjoy decorating with “pretty” things, and I make a point to savor each cup of steaming hot tea. I periodically make a mental list of some of my many blessings, and take a few moments to think on those things and thank the wonderful and compassionate God who created them all. And you know what? I almost never have bad dreams nowadays, and I very seldom think “the house is going to flip over” anymore. {smile}