It can be difficult to have a good attitude when things just aren’t going according to our plans. That’s why how to watch your words and thoughts is so important!
We want things our own way. We think we have things all figured out and if everyone got on the same plan (our plan), life would be so much better.
But life never goes according to our plans, because we have nearly eight billion other individuals with their own ideas of how things should be. Some of their plans are as legitimate as ours. Some of them are evil (and yes, you’ll have disagreements about what is and isn’t evil). Some may have nice, if not naïve plans. And yes, some have plans to survive what we may find unimaginable.
Circumstances we weren’t expecting will happen. There are things we can’t plan for such as natural disasters, disease, and the unwelcome actions of others. Yet, generally, we are better off when we search for good things. This proverb answers the question, “Why is it better to search for good?”
“If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!”
We really do find what we search for. Jesus said it well in Matthew 7:7. We will find what we search for. That can be troubling when we seem to find only bad news these days.
In fact, it is much more challenging for us today to find good. Mass media and social media aren’t helping us. It seems while we are starting to wind down a pandemic, war and inflation have given us more to worry about.
Unfortunately, we don’t have to search much to find bad news. But that makes it that much more important to search diligently for the good.
This isn’t a call to pretend everything is awesome when it isn’t. We live in a broken world that needs fixing. Broken people need help that we can’t, nor should we ignore. We aren’t compassionate if we pretend everything is great when there are so many needs.
However, we won’t find any solutions if we are focused on how bad things are. We can bring hope to others. In addition, we can help those who need a hand when we know we can be part of the solution.
There is hope and a solution when we search for it. That is why it is so important to search for the good in the world. If it just isn’t out there, perhaps we can make some good happen.
We have scores of entertaining thoughts each day. But do we consider which one we should and should not entertain?
We all have random thoughts. Some of them are good and they motivate us to do better. Others can knock the wind out of our sails and make us wonder what is the point? This quote made me consider the implications of our thoughts today.
What thoughts do we keep and allow to affect our day? Most of us don’t consider that not all of our thoughts are useful. One minute, we could be telling ourselves that today will be a great day. The next, a random news story or negative coworker can steer us into dark territory.
Not all our thoughts are good ones. Our self-talk can build us up or tear us down. We have to watch those words and thoughts! I had a few tips in a previous blog. In it, I mentioned a Bible verse that has helped me so many times. Psalm 19:14 reminds me that our words and thoughts matter greatly.
Refrigerator Doors
What entertaining thoughts do we let hang on the walls of our minds? The quote reminds me of a refrigerator door. On it, we hang artwork our children have created, photos of loved ones, and various notes.
It is a place where we have mementos we like to be reminded about. The sundry scraps of paper give us a smile and remind us of good old days and loved ones that have grown.
Our mind is like a refrigerator door. What entertaining thoughts are we hanging there as a reminder? May it be something that inspires us to lift our heads a little higher, causes us to smile, and put a little extra effort into today.
I have loved this morning because I’ve had a chance to take some more life out of a pen as I wrote my morning pages. I enjoyed praying, thinking, and writing my thoughts down.
In a sense, it’s creating something out of nothing. I let the thoughts flow and saw where I ended up.
On the other hand, can we ever truly create something from nothing? I need a pen and paper in order to write. If not a pen, maybe a keyboard. We act on something in order to bring our thoughts and creativity to life.
Every creative person needs some time to express their thoughts and see where they lead. That is where we create something from nothing.
Get your thoughts out today and express your creativity. Whether it’s with pen and paper, some craft clay or in song and dance, we all need to bring our thoughts out into the open once in a while. It’s good for our personal and business lives.
My wife and I have been reading a devotional from Mark Batterson called Draw the Circle.
I sketched my notes while she read. We took notice today about the verse in 2 Corinthians 10:5. We are surrounded by so many thoughts each day. When I’ve read this verse before, I thought about the thoughts of temptation. But Mark points out it could be all thoughts, including positive ones.
Just as we need to take captive the negative, we need to be sure those positive thoughts don’t get away either. That’s just one of the reasons I use a sketchbook. We need to grab those good thoughts before they disappear. Too many times, I thought of an idea I was sure I’d remember only to wrack my brain and wonder what it was.
I’d encourage everyone to write down those dreams and thoughts you want to remember to make them captive on a page so you can go back to them.
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