If anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Phil. 4:8)
Have you ever stopped to take note of what consumes your thoughts at any given moment? We can all be easily distracted. Those moments when we are suddenly caught up in something that is happening around us or something catches our eye scrolling through social media, and we wander down a random path of thoughts, opinions, and emotions. The world is full of static and noise vying for our undivided attention.
Any one of us can wander down a path with political tension and pride growing on both sides. Or maybe you find yourself wandering down a path of comparison and perfection. Truth is, our minds can be easily distracted from what really matters, and we can never get those moments back, nor can we rewind and replace stressful comparison with peace and calm.
Thoughts are not just thoughts. In the day-to-day it may seem like thoughts are easy to come by, but are they? Thoughts can set us in a direction of how to partner with God that day or they can pull us away from him. Staying focused on the good, the pure, and the excellent keeps us on the straight and narrow path. What if you spent your day thinking on things that are right, true, excellent, and praiseworthy? How would that change the trajectory of your day or even your week?
Create space each day to refocus your thoughts.
Maggie Slusher is a young Wesleyan pastor who is passionate about transformational spiritual formation—at every age and season in life. She takes any chance to get outdoors.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
