Over the years, I have spent many hours counseling families and businesses and find most people struggle with maintaining a positive viewpoint regardless of the topic, need or struggle they are in. Or they have a desire to see the positive outcome but what comes out of their mouth isn’t exactly equaled. You have to help yourself and train your mind to find the good in situations surrounding you. I like what Joyce Meyer said, “You’re gonna go through it, so you might as well be happy!”
I can remember a time when I wasn’t feeling very good about myself, I didn’t like the way I looked, I felt like everything I wore looked frumpy, and I was personally tired of wearing black (I had heard it makes you look thinner). While struggling with my own perception of myself, I finally chose an outfit and then asked my husband that very dangerous question, “Do I look ok?” He innocently responded with, “Could you wear the black outfit?” So obviously you can assume how I responded. The irony is, he just wanted me to wear the black outfit so we could match.
Your mindset will predetermine how you react to situations, how you view others, what you speak, and most importantly how you perceive others intentions. It basically aligns (positively or negatively) your perception. If you have a negative outlook, your perception of how something came about or a person’s intentions will be negative. I find it ironic that when a situation happens, if you have a negative perception, you always look for and ultimately find any mistakes in the situation. HEY guess what – PEOPLE AREN’T PERFECT! So there will probably be an error in judgment – but you can find the good if you change your mindset. Starting with your thoughts is paramount! I always say, take the high road. Always assume the best of intentions with people.
When I worked with families and businesses I worked to provide them with the written plan to be completely debt-free. I have to say, there has never been a couple or business owner that has said to me, “thanks for the plan, but I have no intention of completing it.” In fact, it’s quite the opposite. They usually say, “This is great, we can follow this plan, no problem!” Then, 3 years later, they call me back to re-do their plan. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, because at least they get back on track!
But what happened? Somewhere, they lost focus, or they didn’t organize as the plan said, or worse – CIRCUMSTANCES changed their mindset. If everyday they concentrated on being debt-free, decisions they would have made along the journey would have supported the vision. Now I realize that circumstances happen, but they don’t have to move us off the vision.
Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” (NKJV)
IT DOESN’T SAY, “Write the vision and make it plain so that those that read it can CHANGE it, RE-ROUTE it, REVISE it – hence pushing you in a different direction to ultimately obstruct your view and change the vision God has given you.
Circumstances can’t change your vision, only YOU can.
YOUR DAILY DECISIONS ULTIMATELY AFFECT YOUR THOUGHTS
You are always making decisions. Our current lives are a direct result of decisions we have made in the past. You make decisions constantly. Whether it be what time to wake up, what to eat for breakfast, what you are going to wear, etc. All of these decisions can affect your thinking. You can begin to think differently of yourself with something as simple as “what am I going to wear.” Thoughts can begin to transpire that clearly weren’t there the night before, but now have taken over your mind and can affect the way you view yourself the rest of your day.
You have to recognize those thoughts are not of God and make them be quiet. In order to do this, you must know who you are in Christ!
God says, “You are the apple of His eye, that He loves you, that you are to be the first not the last, that there is nothing you can’t do with Him by your side, that He will stick with you, closer than a brother, that He will never leave you nor forsake you, that greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world. These are just a few of His promises and there are so many more.
I realize that you may not always feel like you are special, but you are! I realize you may not always feel like you are loved, but you are! I realize you may not feel like God even knows you exist, but you do and you are all He thinks about! Your feelings do not determine how God feels about you. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He loved you before the earth was formed, before you were born…
…And He loves you now.
The innocence of my husband just asking me to wear what he liked, or the families that realized they were off the planned vision, are just some examples of clues we need a “factory reset” with God. He has a plan for you to begin again. Get your mind right, align it with the Word of God and allow His Spirit to lead you into truth. You will find purpose, happiness and peace that you will never truly fully comprehend!
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for month