reactions to circumstances, my attitude, my children, husband, work, etc. I tend to focus on the negative. So I’ve been trying to begin the habit of having conversations with myself that point out the good.
Lysa Terkeurst, president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, has a great devotional that has
inspired me on my goal of having a better thought life. She also included a great
and practical Bible verse: Lamentations 3:19-23. In the verse, the writer gives voice to the hardship BUT chooses to focus on God. Here’s Lysa’s devotional below, followed by the Lamentations verses.
Temika Middlebrooks
Turning My Twit Around
Last week my husband made the decision to have a tree cut down in our front yard.
He’d consulted with a professional who told him the tree was sick and one good storm could cause the tree to break and fall. Plus, this tree has been dropping these prickly gum ball things that drive my husband crazy.
So, with one swift decision and a few strong men, the tree was gone. I wasn’t in any of the conversations about the tree. I didn’t know it was sick. I didn’t know it could fall during a storm and damage our home or our cars. I didn’t mind the prickly gum ball things. All I knew is I walked out my front door and a tall, lovely, shade-providing tree
was just chopped down. My heart seized at the sight. What in heavens? I called my husband in a panic. His calm and reassuring explanation didn’t make me feel better. Every time I looked outside, all I could see was the stump. The gaping hole in the typical landscape of our front yard. The shade that was missing. I was hyperfocused on what was missing rather than seeing the bigger picture. Now here’s the crazy thing. We live out in the country and have countless trees all around our house. Lots and lots of trees. But the more I got all in a twit about that one tree, the less I noticed all the others. Distracted by one wrong thing, I was missing out seeing many right things. I think this is a tactic the evil one uses against me. Against you. Against us. The Devil loves to make us focus on the little that’s wrong so we miss the big picture of all that’s right.
So, today when this starts happening, I’m going to follow everything up with a “but”
statement. If I catch myself focusing on something that’s wrong, I’ll stop my negative hyperfocus by saying, “but”…and start listing things that are right.
My front yard is missing a tree, BUT my husband has promised to plant a new one. One that doesn’t drop prickly things and isn’t sick. My husband didn’t talk to me about the tree before it was chopped down, BUT he was being my family’s protector. One who cares enough to just take care of what needs to be taken care of. One that I can trust.
I have a tendency to get in a twit about little things, BUT today is a new day with new possibilities. If only I will remember how good a BUT can be.
Lamentations 3:19-23 Amplified Bible (AMP)
19 [O Lord] remember [earnestly] my affliction and my misery, my wandering and
my outcast state, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul has them continually in remembrance and is bowed down within me.
21 But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation:
22 It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.