The Art of Changing Thoughts

First, the blue socks. They were too long, and he hated them.

Then, tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. He didn’t want that. *Insert fit.*

Next, the green dinosaur shirt with 2 buttons at the top. He liked the shirt before he put it on. It made him roar. He liked the shirt 18 other times he wore it. But not today. The buttons bothered him. Not just bothered, he hated the buttons.

I tried to convince him to thank God instead. (But he hated that idea.)

So I told him to repeat me, It’s going to be okay.

Again and again he grudgingly said it, with an angry face, slowly softening. In a voice so delicious, I would bottle it. Suddenly, all was good, and he bounded off, yelling happily about race cars.

This morning, he needed a little repeat-session again. It’s going to be okay…It’s going to be okay.

The repetition is no magic answer that will cancel all fits beginning tomorrow. But it’s a start. And the more I walk through this with him, I realize, I need it too.

Because I run through days, thinking and feeling, and sometimes I get pretty tangled. I don’t go around telling myself what to think very often. {This is why the lies I owned as a little girl were still kicking and screaming in me up until–oh, last summer.} (Read about that here and here.)

I knew the truth. But I needed to rinse the lies away thoroughly, and repeat truth until it played on auto.

You and I may not turn all huffy-face because of socks that don’t fit right. But there are things, no?

I live in a wonderfully noisy home dominated by not-so-orderly boys. So, there’s a thing or two to get all hot and bothered about. Once in a while. (They’re laughing.)

And then what happens? I suddenly develop great focus and concentration. I think about the bothers, only the really important ones. I try to change them. I pray about them. I write something up on the kitchen dry erase board to remind my people to change!!! I try to inspire change. Or just force it.

But recently, it hit me. Shoot. I need to gulp down a little dose of, It’s going to be okay. Or some other line I don’t overuse. It just might be the secret weapon in my own mental battles.

Think about it differently. Think on something different altogether.

Change–your–thoughts.

Now I would love to hear from you. Do you struggle with tangled thinking? Discontent? Ungratefulness? Lies? When you’re THERE, how do you turn yourself around and change your thoughts?

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Philippians 4:8, NLT

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