The New Kings James version of Psalm 23:7 says, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Other versions say a man thinks first the cost. Regardless of the version, the focus in on our thoughts. What we do and say comes from what we think.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) tells us, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
Bad thoughts lead to self-doubt, depression, anxiety (and the list goes on). Letting them run free can lead us down a bad path. Thoughts are important! If I didn't already know that in life, Dr. Caroline Leaf has hit that point home with true precision backed by her work in the field of cognitive neurology.
So here it is, here is what I've learned from her. If you want things to change in your life, you start with your thoughts and it takes 3, 21 day cycles of intentional thought (7-16 minutes a day) to create a thought strong enough to make its way into our conscious mind and life. It is work! But its worth it!!!!!
I asked God, what thought I should first work on. I suspected it would be my anger. I am over losing my temper, but I was wrong. God told me it was my motherhood that needs to be addressed first. That's ironic for May and Mother's Day, right?! As I thought about it I realized, how off track I was. I get annoyed at my kids when they disrupt what I am doing. I get agitated when they aren't moving as quickly as I need them to be when we have to get going. Those things are understandable because well motherhood is hard, and trust me, I have NO JUDGEMENT for all you moms out there. I get it! I just realized I was looking at it wrong.
A month ago I was sitting in an ER with my baby on tubes worried I was going to lose my little girl, if that isn't a wake up call, I'm not sure what is. These kids in my home are a gift, and unless we are talking about my 33 year old, special needs step daughter, who gets older but lives the same life every day and every year, my kids will grow up quickly and be gone before I know it. Eighteen years in the scheme of life are quick. I will spend more time at home without kids than I will with kids. They spend more time out of my home than in it, and I want to maximize those years.
I can't live in some perfectionistic mindset with my kids because I have and will screw up when it comes to being a mom, but I can cherish the moments I have with them, and that is my focus in this process.
Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." We help each other in our encounters with one another to become better people. We can learn to be more Christ like when we are challenged by human interaction. That was quite the lesson when I said, "I do," thirteen years ago. Marriage is the perfect place to understand this verse because becoming better is painful as you work in relationships, especially when you have cemented your life to another flawed human.
Well, parenting is just another step in the process. I want to be the best version of me possible. I want to allow God to refine my places of pride and selfishness. I get to practice putting someone else needs above my own.
At the end of the day, I can get frustrated that my kids are interrupting that tv show I want to watch or I can cherish the moment to be with them. I understand things need to get done and we can't spend every waking hour playing with the kids, but I admit there are lots of moments when selfish me just doesn't want to do the mom stuff, I just want to be left alone. In those moments, I realize I need a mental shift.
So here I am day 7 into my first round of 21 days, with a few months to go in replacing thoughts.
Then I will figure out the next thought pattern I need to change and work on that for 63 days.
Too many of us are guilty of sharing a daily encouragement with a friend or even ourselves and thinking it will inspire change, but don't be fooled, its not that simple. If it were, no one would have any issues in life. It takes daily attention for 63 days, according to Dr. Caroline Leaf. Let give our thoughts the respect, time and attention they need!
What thoughts do you need to change? Ask God to reveal your first thought. Check out this video series if you want to learn more. (Note: I just linked video 1, but there are 3 others that you can watch after it.) Check back in next week for more on mindset!!!
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