Resetting the Mindset

Rarely do I strain for what to blog about each day, but when I am having a brain freeze, I step away from the computer and become intentional to “seeking and finding”. I don’t think seeking and finding will be difficult living in this community. Like yesterday when I intentionally walked down to get my mail and to enjoy a continental breakfast. I knew I would meet some people. I did. One gal, Joanne, was sitting at a table. I interrupted her scrolling through her phone. We introduced ourselves. I asked how she weathered last week when they were completely without electricity or water. She didn’t hesitate. “Oh, it hasn’t been that bad. They had a warm motor coach out front where we could warm up, charge our phones and even take a nap if we wanted to. And it was wonderful for bonding. The first afternoon, someone said “Hey, I just made a lasagna. Someone else said “I just made jambalaya and red beans and rice”, and another had made a chicken meal. We all brought what we had and shared it. And did you know that the grills on the patio are gas? Another time we took pots and boiled water and grilled hamburgers. It has been wonderful getting to meet each other. (I sort of wished I had been here with them.) I met another gal walking down the hall who wasn’t quite as optimistic. She said “It has been awful. I still haven’t been able to wash my hair.” I understand how she must feel. Now, we have electricity and water, and, a special "Thanks, God!", hot water was restored. But bless this gal's heart – she needed to vent her frustrations and I was happy to listen. Before the hot water came on yesterday, I boiled water so it would be warm for a sponge bath, but the cold water didn’t stop Bryson from jumping in the cold shower. He was spending the night here and was hilarious as I heard him whooping and hollering in that cold water! I wasn’t that brave. Back to my two new friends. One of the greatest revelations of my life is doing my best to stay on the look-out for the positive and to eliminate the negative. I don’t mean in people, but in me. I have plenty negative I could share daily, but I just won’t. I’m not going to live there. I can choose how to choose my thoughts and think things on purpose. It is life-changing when we choose to be optimistic. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man/woman thinks in his/her heart, so is he/she.” I’ve been hearing messages about our thinking and how our thoughts are like battlefields. The enemy wants us to dwell on the negative side of life. And God, of course, wants us thinking possibilities and gratitude and hope. That’s why we need to think about what we’re thinking about. Otherwise, we won’t live the life Jesus died to give us – a life of peace with God, peace with ourselves, great relationships, real joy and the ability to become all God has created us to be. It comes down to choosing to believe what God says (the truth) more than we believe our feelings, what other people say or our circumstances. Renewing our minds is an ongoing process. God’s Word (the Bible) helps me with that. I want to think about what God thinks about. Our God is an “all things are possible” God. “Oh, the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) That means we need to daily firehose the junk in our mind out so we can keep running our race in Christ Jesus and have the victory God wants us to have. Then we are ready for action to follow those plans God has for our lives. When we commit to setting our minds with God’s truths, our minds will be renewed and stinkin’ thinkin’ will move out of our way.