choose your thoughts

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. 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. -Philippians 4:8

I post this passage as both an encouragement to you and a reminder to myself. God equips us with what we need to be more at peace in our lives right here in this verse. Fix your thoughts on what is true. Are you telling yourself you’re not good enough, attractive enough, smart enough, skinny enough, popular enough, etc.? These are flat out lies. You lie to yourself more than anyone else will lie to you. Fill your mind with truth. You are unique and capable of incredible things. You can learn to embrace your flaws and use them in your favor. Don’t let your happiness be determined by something as shallow and subjective as beauty or popularity. Fix your thoughts on what is right, pure, lovely and admirable. We’ve been given the incredible ability to make choices. We can choose to do the right thing and we can choose to do the wrong thing. Just the same, we can choose to think about the right things, or think about the wrong things. Do away with the anger, jealousy, hate, worry and everything else that you very well know does you absolutely no good. Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop reading, watching and listening to the things that are filled with negativity and filth. How does any of that benefit you in the slightest? Life is most certainly too short to waste your time on these thoughts. Let’s make the choice to think about what is right! Think about the good qualities of that person you have a hard time getting along with. Think about all of the blessings in your life rather than fixating on what you don’t have. Choose to read, watch and fill your mind with what’s positive, worthwhile and respectable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Have a passion for excellence! Aspire to be something great and believe that you can achieve it. If you tell yourself that you can’t do something, you probably can’t…but if you tell yourself that you can do something, you probably can. Fears are often self-fulfilling, so don’t give them the chance to materialize and become anything more than a thought. Do not let the pains of your past sabotage the potential of your future.

Philippians 4:8 is such a refreshing passage! Maybe this will be the reminder that helps you get back up (as it has been for me), or maybe it’s the extra little nudge that you needed to take control of your choices and fully experience the blessings God has for you. Whatever it is, I wish you nothing but love and happiness! Stay well!