Mindset Matters!

Today, I’d like to invite you along with me as I practice one of the things that the Lord has used to keep the wick of my thought life trimmed over the years. If, like me, you are prone to overthinking, vulnerable to your imagination running away with you, and susceptible to physical exhaustion leading to difficulty in keeping your thoughts from turning anxious or depressive, this may be a practice that will benefit you, as well.

Its foundation is found in what has become one of my favorite passages:

Finally, brothers, whatever is TRUE, whatever is HONORABLE, whatever is JUST, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is COMMENDABLE, if there is ANY EXCELLENCE, if there is ANYTHING WORTHY OF PRAISE, think about these things. -Philippians 4:8

Here are the things my natural mind woke up wanting to focus and think on this morning:

*I have a headache. *I was less productive than intended yesterday. *I am concerned for some loved ones in my circle that are going through some tough things. *I didn’t sleep well. *That mistake I made yesterday…and the other mistake I made after that… *There is SUCH a long task list for today. *And people. I have to do people later on.

Do you see the spiral that started almost the instant I opened my eyes? Do you see the self-interest and self-condemnation?  The invitation to dig my pit even deeper and destroy the day before it begins? This is the invitation of the enemy of our souls every day. He wants to trap us in the neverending cycle of our short-falls and physical limits, robbing us of the pleasure of the tasks and interactions that the Lord intends to make up our day.

Praise God, He has given us weapons to combat this and the Spirit to overcome it!

So, now. Having asked the Spirit to silence the enemy and give me the mind of Christ in place of my natural mind, here are the things that He has shown me. Here are the things that I will consciously choose to think about:

*There is a blue sky and a gentle breeze, with birds singing. *Although I awoke with a headache, the Father has arranged my schedule so that I had leisure this morning to take meds, lay back down, and give it some time to improve. *I have a husband who is a team-mate, and who willingly helps take up the slack of what I didn’t get done yesterday. *My loved ones are committed to the hands of the One who can help and uphold them better than I ever could. *When I fail, He forgives. *His mercies are new every morning. *The people in my day are blessings He has given: friends, clients, family. 

The more I seek the mind of Christ, the more I look for those true and lovely things as Philippians commands, the less I see my shortfalls and the more I see His beauty. It is incredible the physical shift that takes place. Tense muscles relax. Energy increases. Clouded, directionless thoughts gain clarity and purpose, which then leads to productive activity.
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Science has told us that mindset impacts physical outcomes. Long before man corroborated spiritual truth with empirical evidence, the Father who Created us told us the importance of setting our minds on things above. Gaining His perspective changes us in tangible ways.