Seeing the blue flashing lights in my rear view mirror was not a good sign. As I glanced down at the speedometer I realized I was going much faster then intended.
Despite my attempts to explain, the police officer wasn’t budging.
It didn’t matter that I was lost in an unfamiliar section of town. It didn’t matter that my friend had just given birth to her second child and I had spent hours preparing a meal for her family.
I was secretly hoping the lingering aroma of chicken fettuccini would prove my point. But despite all my good intentions and lengthy explanations, the officer proceeded with those words no one wants to hear. “ License and registration please.”
Five minutes later I was back on the road with a nasty speeding ticket sitting on my dashboard. It might as well have been a neon sign flashing red cuss words: looser, busted, cursed.
To say that I was frustrated is an understatement. Angry would be a better word to describe how I was feeling.
As the day went on, my anger mounted. I just couldn’t stop (or maybe it was more like I wouldn’t stop) thinking about our brief and aloof conversation. Over and over, I mentally replayed different scenarios, coming up with alternative dialogues and endings. Oh, I should have said this… What if he would have said that …?
By the end of the day I had a fierce headache, a knot in my stomach and a don’t-go-near-her attitude. All the over-analyzing and mental back talk created a toxic mess in my mind (and body) making an unfortunate situation worse.
Do you ever have those days when you make matters worse because you choose to focus on the negative parts of a situation instead of the positive?
As you can see, that’s happened to me before. 🙂
Honestly, I’ve gotten better at nipping those toxic thoughts at the root, only because God is teaching me the importance of renewing my mind with His Word.
Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 (NET)
God is showing me that even in midst of difficult situations, He wants me to stay focused on the good; not the negative. He wants the same for you too.
Are you wrestling with a difficult situation or butting heads with someone this week? Have you noticed that your thoughts are turning negative or you’re spending way too much time over-anaysizing the situation? Is all that thinking giving you a don’t-go-near-her attitude?
Let’s encourage one another and anchor our thoughts with the Word of God. Let’s stop trying to do things our way and start doing things God’s way. Why? Because God’s way is always the BEST way.
Let’s make sure our thoughts are focused of what’s pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy today.
It’s Your Turn:
Share a time when you’ve allowed your toxic thoughts and run-away emotions to make matters worse. (or) Share a time when God helped you to renew your mind in the midst of a tough situation.
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Leah DiPascal says
Denise, thank you for sharing so honestly how you struggle with negative thoughts. Our minds are always going (even when we sleep) so it’s super important that we renew our thoughts with the Word of God. Over the years, memorizing Scripture has been a must for me. God’s Word is like a powerful whitening agent that removes the stains and grunge from our negative thoughts. Without it, we are all susceptible to stinking thinking.
Denise says
I struggle with this everyday. On the outside, I portray a positive outlook but in my mind and ultimately my spirit I struggle with negative thoughts. These thoughts bring me down and rob me of present joy and blessings. The secret to peace and contentment is to constantly seek out the good and the blessings.