Always Keep God in Mind
“Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Continuing with the theme of yesterday’s blog, here are a few more suggestions from the website psychologenie.com for remaining calm and peaceful during times of upheaval, whether on an individual level or a more public one. The next two suggestions are presented together: “look for the positives of every experience and don’t dwell on the negative”. Something that is positive brings confidence, progress, and emotional release from constant worry. Sometimes it is difficult to find something positive when faced with a situation where it seems that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. At times, it may be later on down the road when the light finally shines and the picture becomes clearer. Sometimes, though, no matter how long one tries to think positively, nothing appears to lighten the situation. Some of us have a tendency to dwell on the negative. I have known folks who, no matter the subject, can only see the dark side. They are not much fun to be around because they drain the joy out of everyone with whom they come in contact. I try to avoid those people. One way to think positively is to count one’s blessings.
Another suggestion from the website was to “stop being obsessed with one’s situation”. Worry is useless. It doesn’t help the situation, and it hurts the one who is prone to be a worry wart. We have all heard the saying: “If you think you have it bad, just look around, and you will find someone who has it worse than you do.” That is true, but we don’t like to hear people tell us that. It seems that they are diminishing what we consider a major deal. If it is a major deal to us, know that it is a major deal to God, and we need to stop obsessing about it and give it to Him. Another saying is: “Cheer up. It could be worse. So I cheered up and sure enough things got worse.” This saying belongs to the negative Nellies and Neds mentioned above. The suggestion as a remedy for preoccupation with one’s problems is to “exercise one’s emotional outlet by doing those things that one enjoys.” Hobbies are great. I enjoy working in the yard, sewing, music, and jigsaw puzzles. Getting involved in an enjoyable hobby helps to take one’s mind off one’s problems at least for a while especially if the activity takes diligent concentration. Oh the joy of resting our minds!
The next suggestion is one that really does help to relieve emotional distress, and that is to “stop expecting too much from others”. Sometimes we expect others to do what they are not equipped to do. When I was a child, I thought everyone was reared in a godly home like I was. There wasn’t a whole lot of difference in the lifestyle that my family lived and in the lifestyles of those with whom we associated. However, as I grew into adulthood, I begin to meet folks whose upbringing was very different than mine. I suppose I was just naive, but I had expected others to have the same philosophies and beliefs as me. Now, even some of my closest friends and relatives think differently about a whole host of subjects. Others, from whom I thought would always follow through on promises, have shown themselves to be less dependable. We are all different. Let your experience with folks you know guide your expectations of them. What you think is important may not even be on their radar.
The last three suggestions involve one’s personality and zest for life. “Live each day with enthusiasm and passion”. Enthusiasm is contagious. Passion compels a person to not accept second best from himself or herself. Tackling any task with enthusiasm and passion keeps a chore from becoming monotonous or boring. Colossian 3:23 tells us that “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” I believe that the Lord appreciates our efforts more than some people do! It has been said that if you do what you love, you will never have to work a day in your life. The next suggestion is to “do everything with noble intentions”, that is, with greatness of character and integrity. One’s motive for what they do is a big deal with the Lord.
The last is not just a suggestion, but more of a commandment: “Always keep God in mind.” Without Him, all of life is futile. When we keep the Lord at the forefront of our mind in all that we do, life actually becomes simpler without all the chaos that the world experiences because they do not keep Him in mind. He put us on this earth to fulfill His purpose for our lives, and anything less than that is wasted effort. I don’t know about you, but, one day, when I wake up in heaven and see my Savior, I want Him to say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21,23). I hope that if we follow these admonitions, that we will experience a little more peace and calm in our lives. Have a blessed day and keep the faith.