Why is it that whenever I run into Wal Mart with only one item needed I walk out with a cart full of things? Seriously, I go from a $10.00 item to spending over $100.00. It’s crazy, or ‘cray cray’ as my niece would say. The problem is I pick up things as I walk along, many times without much thought. I grab this and a little of that, and stock up here and refill something there…where does it stop? Let’s not even talk about the grocery section, because one item will always become 20. (I am not going to mention the things I grab when I walk into the store hungry…it’s not pretty…actually, I should probably just go undercover when this happens.) Needless to say, it would be better if I left all the ‘quick grab’ items and only picked up the good stuff.
Every one of us, as we journey through each day, ‘pick up’ things that are better left alone. Often it’s when we interact with others. They may be angry, negative, or feeling defeated. Instead of just supporting them, we inadvertently take on and internalize their emotions. It’s not healthy to carry that negativity around all day. Instead, when we are thinking about the difficult situations our friends and co-workers face, we need to renew our minds, to: ‘think good thoughts‘ as my friend Sarah would say. Then our rough day gets transformed into a brighter day. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2, NLT) Let’s make a decision to keep our days positive, to pay attention to what we ‘pick up’. “Finally, brothers and sisters, 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, NIV)
Things to do today:
- Count your blessings. Take time to think of the good things that are in your life.
- Read a similar post called ‘Think Good Thoughts’ and listen to songs Surrounded (Fight My Battles) and God I Look to You.
I recently went on a long train ride in Arizona. We looked at rocky canyons, saguaro cactus, and valleys with slow moving streams. One curve while traversing a canyon took us through a dark, winding tunnel. It was a long one and we couldn’t help but wonder if we’d ever get to the other side. And then we saw a ray of light peeking through the darkness, and as we moved forward it got brighter and brighter, until the light burst through and overtook the darkness. In our lives, we sometimes come across those black tunnels, times when we wonder if we’ll ever be happy again, or free from worry, or from pain and sickness.