Restless

    Do you find yourself worrying often? Are you dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, fear, or maybe even all of the above? I know I had been. With my heart knotting, pulse racing, and pain shooting throughout my body I had decided enough was enough. Since when was all of those from God? God is a God of peace. He isn't the author of such feelings. He even speaks against them in His Word. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

    We need to offer whatever is weighing on our hearts to God who is the only one who can give us rest. We need to be in prayer giving thanks despite our circumstances. Whether we are sick or healthy, rich or poor, have somewhere to call home or have nowhere to call home it is crucial to give thanks to He who made you. I feel a sense of peace when I give thanks no matter what I just went through or what I am in the midst of going through. God is the source of all hope. It's image  spills over with such beauty because it keeps us going. Hope is what gives us an urge to fight again, compulsion to get back up when we have fallen, and a yearning to keep going forward. Hope keeps us from giving up.

    Psalm 42:5 gives us a clearer picture of this,“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Would you give up if your hope was in the Lord? The underlying meaning to this is that our thoughts do have an affect on how we live. If we think thoughts of hope then we develop mannerisms based on that. If we believe we can do something we are more likely to do it than if we doubted that we could. Our thoughts have a lot to do with why we feel the way we do. Positive thinking has been literally proven to give you a healthier life. How do we approach this in order to become successful in doing so? Even though I have already stated the most important actions to take (praying, giving thanks, reading His Word, and putting our hope in Him) I believe we can do more.

    I'm not trying to portray a heavier emphasis on this next part, but a sense of some sort of importance to what I'm about to write which is that we need to take responsibility for our thinking. We can't blame it on everything else that is under the sun because truth is they are your thoughts and no one else's. We have some power to change our thinking. Those negative thoughts that pop up in your head are coming from somewhere within. What is the number one step to change that? That one step is really quite simple after you make a habit of doing so. We need to stop that negative thought and change it into something positive. I'm not saying that you can't be realistic because if that were the case then I would have already said forget about it.

    I like to laugh about a lot and make fun out of everything that I can make fun out of yet I am someone who is realistic - no funny business when it comes to serious matters, but keep in mind that realistic does not mean pessimistic. Pessimism leads to depressed states. It is a coping mechanism which causes you to diminish the reality of a traumatic situation. It is okay to be angry or sad about something for a couple of days, but when it occurs over a long period of time it develops habitual problems. That anger and sadness starts to ferment. That is a good indicator that you need to change your thinking and quick! When a negative thought comes to mind begin by molding it into something new. It's as if you are reshaping an inaccurate sculpture of something into an accurate image of it.

    For example, if you are doubting God's or someone's love then remind yourself of the acts of love you have been shown in the past. If you are thinking that you'll never be delivered from a circumstance you are facing then remember that God delivers and that everyone goes through seasons of pain - not just you. If you are upset about the way someone treated you change your mean thoughts from: "They are so heartless or they don't know how to drive! (followed by you calling them names you wouldn't want your pastor to hear)" to: "Maybe they are having a bad day or maybe they didn't have as good of a driving instructor as I did." Positive thinking goes a long way. It literally can add years to your life and change stress, depression, and anxiety to healthy ways of living. So think twice and try doing your best at optimistic thinking.