A NEW WAY OF THINKING

While the past remains part of our lives, it doesn’t have to determine our future. With God’s wisdom and the forgiveness He offers (Ps. 130:3-4; Acts 13:38-39), we can focus on the future with hope.

So how are you doing? Really? All three of us have, thus far, held on to our jobs. We know what a blessing it is and are grateful. Blessings in our household do not go without prayers of thanksgiving.

I know in this day and age and with the economy failing us, our future can look dim. We all have periods in our lives where we face the uncertainty of our future and this puts our emotions (anger, fear and even insecurity) in high gear. Once our emotions are set in place and we allow them to take over, we find ourselves in a power struggle. This power struggle is inside us, forcing us to try and control the issues of our lives. It is how most of us survive, a survival instinct if you will. We simply have to know what is going to happen so we can be prepared. But as most of us know, life does not always work that way, now does it?

We cannot worry about what tomorrow will bring. We just can’t. We have to have hope and faith in God. As humans, we repeat what we already know. Why? Because we think it is the only way to handle situations. To change this takes conscious effort. It is easy for us to fall into the habit of the way things were, but this will lead us down the road of living in the past. We can't change what happened yesterday. We can only learn from it and apply it today and lean on God’s understanding, not our own.

The one thing you have control over is yourself. Your emotions and the way you react to those emotions is entirely in your hands. Your life will unfold according to your reaction to it. Remain focused on the emotions of today. What are they telling you? Why are they present? What happened in the past that makes you react the way you do? Does it help your situation? Chances are, the answer is no. So let it go! When you let go, you will feel better than you have in years. It took me a long time to recognize this and to embrace it but once I did, I never felt better.

The heart of your attitude brings you everything or nothing. The choice is yours. A new attitude today, means a new way of life tomorrow. Try it! ;)