It’s time to get a grip, folks. In recent years, it’s become even more evident: Life has changed. People have changed. Circumstances have changed.
Or have they? Maybe crises and emergencies have simply revealed what is real and what is true. To be sure, nothing is the same as it was just a few short months ago. Life, people, and circumstances certainly seem to be different. Just remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers and principalities.
“Now you have done gone and got spiritual on me Chip.” Friend, that’s where we are today. Maybe it’s time to pull out The Screwtape Letters (C.S. Lewis) or that old standby This Present Darkness (Frank Peretti).
You’ve read it on these pages over the years, but here are four key things we must address to add security, sanity, and peace to our minds and our lives.
RELATIONSHIPS.
This one has never been more true than now. People you thought you knew have gone off the rails. Their response to the crisis and troubles has completely revealed their lack of character and integrity. Yes, you could name names, but let’s don’t.
Sure, you want to help them through this time and beyond. But, just as a nurse and doctor would, make sure you’re wearing your spiritual/mental/emotional PPE. In other words, be prayed up, mentally prepared, spiritually primed, and don’t cast your pearls before swine (look it up if you’re not familiar with it).
It is essential to have the right people around you! Catch up on the 3 People You Need in Your Life. It may be time to Shuffle the Deck in Your Inner Circle. Take a look at your influences: Friends, TV shows, articles, conversations, and even family.
Be you, but protect yourself, your family, your future. And especially social media and so-called news shows.
“I have found that it is better to be alone than in the wrong company. A single conversation with the right person can be more valuable than many years of study. ”
~ John Mason
REASONED, BALANCED APPROACH.
Don’t be stupid! There’s plenty of insanity out there, and it’s easy to be dragged into the foolishness and absurdity. Recently, I’ve discovered that people know they’re wrong, realize their Facebook posts are inaccurate and misleading, and that their perspective is warped. Sorry, not sure how else to say it. Further, many have become bitter, sour, and even hostile.
You can be a Voice of Reason, but it involves restraint, discernment, and, especially, discipline. Personally, I had to shut it down because there were just Too Many Voices.
HEALTH.
Don’t think about what you can’t do or what you have no control over. Do what you can!
Back in 2020, when coronavirus was bursting onto the scene, I provided some tips to improve your health — simple things that anyone can use in One Big Coronavirus Takeaway. Stress is a huge factor in your health too. It will destroy your body, your mind, and your emotions. Employ some of these stress breakers to fend off those attacks.
You can lose weight, you can eat better, you can drink your water, you can exercise. Do what you can!
IT’S ALL IN YOUR MIND.
I’ll beat this drum louder. For me, and for you! This is the single, most important thing we can do this week to take control of our lives. It’s time to clear out the clutter and the lies in our heads.
Did you know that most researchers say that 70%-80% of the thoughts we think daily are negative? So, if you have an average of 70,000 thoughts per day of most of us, that means that approximately 50,000 of those are negative thoughts!
With that in mind, what stories are you telling yourself? More importantly, what lies are you believing? What do you wake up at night thinking about? What keeps you tied to the past or from moving forward? Fear starts with a thought, just like discouragement, hopelessness, despair, anger, and bitterness.
In fact, Napoleon Hill says: “If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure you will control nothing else.”
Wow, dwell on that thought for just a minute! When you realize you are where you are in life simply because of your thoughts, you may want to change the process.
Think of it this way. If someone was stealing your car, you’d intervene, wouldn’t you? If someone was attacking your spouse — verbally or physically — you’d get mad and step in, wouldn’t you? If someone was abusing your child, you quickly intervene, no? I dare say so on all accounts!
It should be even more so for your mind! Take captive those thoughts you know aren’t productive. Adopt a positive mind mindset. That doesn’t mean you just ignore situations, and it doesn’t mean you won’t or can’t deal with uncomfortable circumstances or issues. It just means that you choose the thoughts you entertain and the perspective from which you view them!
Change the thoughts you allow. It is true, you know: Garbage in, garbage out. After all, It’s All in Your Head!
As I mentioned at the outset, these aren’t novel thoughts, but it’s time for action to meet reality. The times demand our best, and the season challenges us to shape up.