Every four years we go through the Presidential election. And it seems like for the last couple decades, maybe longer, everywhere we turn hate is spewed. And I don’t mean that it’s just between the candidates. Facebook and other social media platforms turn into battlefields. People can hide behind the screens on their phones or computers and attack one another. Friends. Family. Coworkers. Acquaintances. Etc. Nobody seems to be immune from it. Disagreeing is no longer allowed. And for many people, this causes anxiety. Frustration. Anger. And more.
Something that I find particularly interesting about this whole thing…I don’t think many people, if any, actually change their minds about who they’re going to vote for because of what others post or comment on. I don’t even think the debates that are on TV change peoples minds. But for whatever reason, we allow the opinions of others dictate our emotions. I have been guilty of that. We actually allow our thoughts to be changed. Our feelings. It might be temporary. But we allow it to happen. Isn’t that crazy.
In this life, we’re going to find that there are many things over which we have no choice. There are many things that are out of our control. We cannot dictate the results. But I believe with all of my heart, there is at least one thing that we can choose. And that one thing is this: What we think about! We can control our thoughts. That is important, because what we think has consequences. And if we can steer our thoughts onto Christ, we can help ourselves avoid anxiety. Anger. And all the other emotions that I mentioned earlier. I am fully aware that this is easier said than done. I get it. That is part of being human. We have emotions. But I also fully believe that we can help ourselves avoid those negative emotions by trying to control what we think. I really do. Do you want to be happy today? Tomorrow? Next week? Whenever? Then work on your thoughts. Find the blessings. Encourage others. Read the Bible. Sing songs of praise. And here’s a big one. Pray! Pray for happiness. So today, steer your thoughts on Jesus. If you find yourself drifting the wrong direction, change your course back towards him. Right the ship! And I promise you, if you do this, Jesus will help you control what you are feeling. Read Philippians 4. You will see what I’m talking about. He will do this because he loves you. He always has. He always will.
