This past Tuesday was the Presidential election. Those of you that follow what we write, saw where we said that we were glad it’s over. That is because of the bickering back-and-forth between people. I’m sure most of you saw where people were bashing celebrities/entertainers for taking a stand. Making comments along the lines of: “Shut up and just play.” I get the logic behind that. I just am tired of the ugliness. But, I do realize that there are people in this country who allow their thoughts to be dictated by what their idols are saying or doing. They believe this or that because…such and such person believes this or that. So that leads me to this set of questions. What are you reading? What are you watching on tv? Or listening to on the radio? Is there a blog or a podcast you’re following? The reason I’m asking is because these forms of information can have direct impacts on our lives. How is that?
Here is what I think about this. What we are thinking impacts our lives. Our thoughts do. If they are healthy, they can positively affect our lives. If they are toxic, they can negatively affect our lives. Our relationships. Our everything‘s. I’m not saying that what you are reading, watching, listening to, etc., are bad. What I’m saying is that “how” you take all that in can be. How you let them impact how you think can be. It’s no secret that I am a 1980s hair band fan. Def Leppard. Motley Crue. Metallica. But they are simply entertaining to me. I don’t let them control how I view things. How I see things. How I think things. How I do things.
I’m not trying to tell you what to listen to or watch. I’m not trying to tell you who it is you should let yourself be entertained by. It’s not my place to do so. But I am saying this…If you find yourself allowing what you read, watch, or listen to impact your thoughts, maybe you need to be careful. If you find yourself allowing the results of Tuesday impact you enough that you are celebrating in the anxiety of those around you, maybe you need to be careful. What I am trying to tell you is that our thoughts do matter. They matter more than we realize. They matter because they are important in determining who we are. Who we become. How we act. What we believe. They matter because they can keep us from God‘s truth. And that’s where the danger lies. Toxic thoughts can destroy us. Without us even realizing it. They can tear our lives apart. They can ruin our relationships. So, maybe it’s time to analyze our thoughts and see how they are directing us. Maybe it’s time to take inventory on what we allow ourselves to be impacted by. Or even more importantly, maybe it’s time to let God‘s word take over and let God take control of our thoughts. If we do that, he will take control of our lives. And how awesome will that be!
