Fix Your Thoughts

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.

I smiled as I watched my three-year-old granddaughter sleeping peacefully. Madison didn’t have a care in the world. Happy, healthy, and well loved, her biggest concern was whether she would receive the new doll she had been asking for. I wished I could experience the peace she had.

Instead I was filled with so much worry and anxiety that it was disrupting my sleep. My son-in-law was battling metastatic melanoma, and we didn’t know what the outcome would be. As a result, our oldest daughter was shouldering a huge burden of stress. Our youngest daughter faced severe financial problems, and her husband’s company had just announced layoffs. My mother had married a man who was isolating her from the rest of the family, which made maintaining a relationship with her difficult. And my own mental health was deteriorating.

Night after night, I could feel the anxiety churning inside. I tried not to get up too often so I wouldn’t disturb my husband, but he wasn’t sleeping very well either.

One night we were both awake about 2:00 a.m., so I turned on the light and picked up my Bible. It fell open to the verse in Philippians that says, “Fix your thoughts on what is . . . pure, and lovely” (4:8). We prayed that the Lord would give us peace while we went through life’s storms and that He would help us to focus on Him and His faithfulness.

When we’re overwhelmed with our circumstances, it’s hard to focus on the pure and lovely things in our lives. The Lord wants us to face our concerns and give them to Him. Because of Jesus, we no longer have to let our burdens consume us. The next time you’re tempted to fret, pause, take a deep breath, and picture giving your burdens to the Lord. He is more than able to carry you through.

Rest Assured

Lord, You are good, and Your love is eternal. Your faithfulness continues to all generations (see Psalm 100:5).

Rest in Him: Philippians 4:4-9