Today is Thanksgiving. It's the national day to offer up thanks, to count our blessings, to let the dust settle and look around at our loved ones and let their presence fill our hearts. Yet there are countless reasons why our hearts and minds may be burdened and spent, even running on empty. Believe it or not, we may even be struggling to be thankful. We may really feel a bit sad, weary, lonely, even worrisome today. We are overwhelmed with the tasks before us and the countless decisions that await us. Every day seems and feels like Black Friday. If this is you, let me say, "I'm sorry. It's okay. You're not alone. We've all been there. " Let me proclaim here and now, I'm grateful for you, for the kind of person you are. I'm deeply inspired that you don't give up. I'm truly blessed that you share your life with me, all the ups and downs. I appreciate how hard you work for your family. I see such tenderness and vulnerability in your aching heart. You are an amazing, unique individual with so much to offer. And if giving thanks is something you cannot offer today, confessing this predicament is a really good step to help you let go and look up. The beauty of both giving thanks and confessing is that we recognize a more powerful entity above ourselves who transcends our life conditions. We are thanking and confessing to--even praising--our Creator. Our Creator is a spiritual and triune entity who hears our thanks, listens to our confessions, receives our praise. These are amazing, mind-blowing truths. Basically, this is the recognition that we have someONE to thank. My prayer for you today, dear friend, is that for a moment you rest, you let the dust settle at your feet and you take a deep breathe. I hope your heart and mind stop racing and your feet stop moving. I hope you allow the God of the universe to lift your head, to fill you with hope, to whisper in your ear just how much He loves you. I hope His great love for you chases away every toxic and self-defeating thought that pounds on your heart's door. But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, If you need more of a boost up, please take a look at the ULTIMATE GRATITUDE GUIDE - CLICK HERE. This guide will offer you tips and tricks on how to pivot your thinking and develop new thought patterns and habits, not just today, but everyday.
You see, in my book, every day is Thanksgiving. I love you, friend! One thought really does matter. Analyzing each individual thought is critical to both your emotional and spiritual well-being. I know--it sounds like an overwhelming, if not impossible task. You're thinking: C'mon! You have no idea of all the thoughts running through my head! Well, I just might. And I know it's a hard call to action. And I know it takes time to develop the habit of healthy and truthful thinking. And I know we may bump our way through this. But I also know and believe with all my heart that if you discover the consistent process of taking your thoughts captive that you will step into victory and happiness perhaps like never before. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to take every thought or purpose captive (2 Cor. 10:5). And when we take the thought captive we lead it in the direction we want it to go. We must vet the thought through God's Truth. We conclude it is toxic or truthful. If toxic, we replace with truth. You see, we are in control. We can CHOOSE 2 THINK! This is probably the very best news anyone could be given. Your thoughts control your emotions and your actions. Change your thoughts and you will change your emotions and actions. It's worth it! To help you begin the process, I recommend that you start with gratitude. Want an example of a thought pivot? Yesterday I had to go to the dentist for a filling. As I sat in the chair for upwards of 50 minutes for the procedure, I found myself a bit frazzled, nervous, and disgruntled. I was thinking thoughts like: "Man, I hate coming to the dentist. This whole gig is barbarous - I mean someone drilling on my head?! And geesh, I do all the right things. I brush, floss, rinse daily, and here I am still with an issue. What are my teeth turning into? My whole mouth's a mess...." Get the picture? Then immediately after that avalanche of toxicity rushing through my brain and heart, I quietly whispered to myself, "Stop." I knew exactly what to do. I asked myself what I was most grateful for at that moment. I came up with quite a few things.
And I could keep going. Get the new picture? This is called a THOUGHT SHIFT OR PIVOT. I recognized the toxic thoughts running rampant in my mind and brain flooding my system with cortisol. With my thoughts (my mind), I caused a different hormone to be released--oxytocin. Ahhh....now I could settle in to the dentist chair with a bit more peace. Also, we can channel our thought energy to more healthy outcomes. I try to take the time in the chair to pray. What a perfect time to pray for all my kids' teeth! And from there for their physical and spiritual health as well. I was even grateful for those minutes to slow down and to pray--it was such a good use of my time! Eyes off self. Eyes on Truth. Taking each thought captive starts with one thought at a time. The key in priming the pump to lead you to truth is to START WITH A GRATEFUL HEART. If you would like some written exercises, help sheets, and guides, simply click the FREEBIES link above! I will walk you through step-by-step the process toward healthy, truthful thinking. You'll become smarter as well! Join me! Let's CHOOSE 2 THINK today! Put some FEET on your FAITH! Would you believe me if I told you that you CAN get to the other side of mood swings, depression, negativity and anxiety? These emotions are not just a "normal" part of life (I always thought they were!).
Change takes commitment and a lot of work, but you are designed to take the thoughts captive and vet them with the Truth. You are have what it takes to become a Brain Changer! If you don't know how to start, let me tell you where: with GRATITUDE. Gratitude primes your emotional pump, resets your focus, and re-energizes your "want-to." Based on my own personal need and experience, I created the ULTIMATE GRATITUDE GUIDE to help you get on a new path toward healthier thinking. I'd like to put this faith-based guide directly into your hands right now. It's 100% FREE and all yours forever! No strings attached. Click here for MORE INFORMATION. I'm on a mission to help others get out of the toxic thinking trap. and I would appreciate it if you would like and share this post as well. You can choose to change your mind change your brain change your life one thought at a time. Yes, I've created a new verb: to Philippians 4:8 or for short to P48. When I started my adventure about three years ago to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5), I created a system of phone reminders to sound about every hour throughout the day. According to now popular neuroscience, it takes about 84 days to solidly build a new thinking habit or rewire your brain so to speak. The practical application is rather simple: the more we choose to think healthy, truth-filled thoughts, the quicker we become at recognizing those unhealthy, toxic thoughts that knock (or sometimes bang) at our mind's door. Currently I have about 42 brief reminders that grab my attention - and they all have to do with my identity in Christ and what I should be choosing to do or think about. I have the reminders set on a cycle; some appear daily, while others buzz in every other day or weekly, etc. I am often amazed at how timely a reminder might be on a given day. They beep in just when I need to reorient myself to God's Truth and purpose for my life! Sometimes these truths even make me teary eyed because they've struck a chord in my heart. Sometimes they make me smile as I take a moment to meditate on that truth and what it means to me at that moment. I borrowed this reminder idea from Dr. David Levy (a neurosurgeon) from one of his podcast messages. I think he only had one or two reminders, while I went hog wild with about 42 of these good boys! P48 reminders should be highly personalized and updated from time to time. If you find yourself ignoring or checking them off mindlessly when they sound, you may need to reword them or ask a question instead of make a declaration. If you are trying to detox your brain or have identified your danger zones when it comes to your emotional health it might just be time for you to P48 your thought life! This simple approach allows you to guard your heart daily! This is such a quick and simple method to help you overcome counterproductive thinking patterns and negative thoughts and emotions. A few of mine read like this:
I hope you try it today! Go ahead! It's time to P48 your thought life! Please comment below about what your first reminder would be. :) Do you have a few quotes, quips, verses that are your go-to's each day? You know, those reminders that encourage your heart or inspire you in what you do?
I love the art of using sticky notes just for this purpose! Above my desktop screen are a line of colorful notes where I have written these phrases and lines to remind me to keep running this race in order to win the prize. I have learned that I must be mindfully intentional and that I must daily intend to have a mind full of the Holy Spirit. I would love to know your favorite words of encouragement! Leave a comment below. Blessings to you this Monday Fun Day. :) |
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