mind – rhythms of grace

I can change my reality based on how I choose to see it.

The Lord has been reminding me of the power of my mind. What I think about has a massive effect on every aspect of my health and wellbeing:

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…
Proverbs 23:7

As a psychology major, you would think I would always have been aware of that. But through years of chronic illness I had all but forgotten about the power of my mind and my attitude. I convinced myself my negative attitudes were justified given my negative situation, but now I see that was the enemy slowly needling his way into my mind until countless strongholds were built that I am just now beginning to dismantle.

There is a very real spiritual battle for our minds, friends. There is a very real enemy trying to take us out by whispering lies that so easily feel like truths to us. But there is also a very real God who speaks the real Truth, and we can begin to listen to and believe Him.

Maybe it took this much pain for me to see it– there is no place for negativity, bitterness, self-pity, anger, or anxiety in my life if I expect to be well, if I expect to live into the promises of God. I cannot entertain these mindsets for a second longer. It’s a matter of survival.

When life is comfortable and easy, it seems like we can get away easier with these negative mindsets. Surely they make us more miserable than we need to be, but there are no serious implications yet. But when the rubber meets the road and you find yourself going through trials (which all of us eventually will), that same attitude can plunge you into an abyss you just may never come out of. The stakes are excruciatingly high.

I’m learning this the hard way, but learning it nonetheless. If I indulge myself in any amount of anxiety at this point in my life, my physical body immediately responds in pain. I simply cannot entertain anxiety anymore.

And the same is true for self-pity. All these years I’ve felt sorry for myself I have unknowingly dug myself into a pit of despair. The more I allow self-pity to take residence in my mind, the deeper the pit gets and the harder it is to get out. It is the worst prison to be trapped in–the prison of your own mind.

So what can we do? How do we change our mindsets and get out of these toxic, destructive thinking patterns?

The answer is simple and practical: the Gospel. God’s Word.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
1 Peter 1:3-4

Everything we need to flourish is found in the word of God. As I study and meditate more deeply on Scripture, I have found this to be true. For every negative thought that comes to my mind, there is a scripture to combat it. It’s as if He knows every trap we can possibly fall into and has the remedy for each one.

The more I study His word, the more amazed I am at how nourishing it is to my soul. But the only way it can nourish my soul is if I renounce and release the lies that are currently taking up precious space in there. This is repentance– letting go of what is getting in between me and Him. And I’m finding that sadly there is a lot.

But I don’t have to be discouraged, because every day I am getting stronger. The progress is slow but it is happening. I am changing. I am becoming more like Him, as my mind is being renewed (Romans 12:2). And I am so, so grateful.

This change is possible for all of us, but here’s the key: you have to want it. You have to want Him and His ways– not your own. You have to be willing to surrender your engrained ways of thinking and be willing to think differently.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9

Sometimes we get so comfortable in our negativity that we are afraid of changing. We feel safe and protected by our negative mindsets; they keep us from taking real risks and having real hope, which could inevitably lead to hurt.

But the real danger is remaining stuck in the enemy’s lies. His goal is to steal our joy. We can never become all we were meant to be unless we learn to walk in truth, even when the truth feels completely counter to all we are experiencing.

It takes discipline and a constant returning to the Word if you really want your mind to change. You have to “take every thought captive” and hold it up to the light of scripture, to test if it is true or not (2 Corinthians 10:5). It’s hard work, but it’s worth it to experience the rest and joy of living in deeper intimacy with our Savior.

Changing my mind doesn’t change my circumstances, but it does change my heart. And that is what God is after. As we allow the Holy Spirit to align our minds with His, circumstances may or may not change, but it will no longer matter, because we have Him.

And when we have Him, we are free.

In October I wrote about a choice we all have to make at some point in our lives when things get hard:

choice

I find myself in that place again; the place where I feel stuck and stagnant in my circumstances and my thinking, and I can either continue in bitterness and resentment, which is the most natural and fleshly inclination, or I can choose to go forward in a different way:

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

~Philippians 2:14

I so quickly fall out of a mindset of gratitude when the climate around me isn’t just as I’d like it to be. When things aren’t going my way I become a spoiled child- I throw temper tantrums in my heart and lash out with my thoughts and tongue. My vision becomes narrow and self-focused; self-pity overtakes me and I’m zeroed in on everything that’s wrong.

It’s black-and-white thinking, and it’s a spiraling downward cycle.

But Christ gives us His mind, if we’ll ask for it:

For, “Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

~1 Corinthians 2:16

In fact, Paul says we already have it. Our minds are so important, and it’s imperative that we protect and guard them from the evil one, who is constantly trying to sabotage our thinking. God knows this, which is why He wants us to have His mind, and think His thoughts:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

~Philippians 4:8-9

The best way to guard our minds is to not even entertain negative thoughts, but to focus on the eternal. To focus on Christ and what He is doing through each situation we come across, instead of how that situation makes us feel. And the second piece of that is the action we take- putting it into practice. That’s where the choice comes in; when we decide what kind of thoughts we will engage and which ones we will not give attention to. Sometimes we like to indulge our negative, self-pitying, resentful thoughts because that feels better in the moment. It feels better to allow ourselves to sulk instead of taking responsibility for our own minds.

These negative patterns of thinking go way back, and the more we have indulged them in the past, the harder it will be to find freedom from them now. But it is not impossible, because He helps us when He sees that we are willing and want to be free.

It takes intention and effort. It requires that we shift our focus the second we start to catch ourselves going down that path, and remember the truth about ourselves, others, and our God. This kind of intentionality requires effort and active participation- Christ will be faithful to change our hearts when we ask Him but we must be willing to lay down the thoughts and feelings that we allow to hold us captive.

My prayer is that I can see my circumstances with fresh hope and joy- to find Him in the midst of the moments that I dread. To recognize that He is already here and now is the best time of my life; a time to grow and mature in even deeper ways, to grow closer to Him than ever before through the difficulties.