Reframing Our Thoughts

I woke up this morning, thinking. Thinking about our schedule for the day, thinking about the errands I need to run, thinking about conversations from yesterday, thinking about packing my son for his return to college monday morning, thinking about what I would cook for breakfast (eating--always favorite food for thought, excuse the pun), thinking about what time my daughter and her friends would get up this morning and what I would fix them, thinking about cleaning out clutter (Lord have mercy), thinking about a busy week ahead, thinking about all the stuff I failed to do yesterday, thinking about what I wrote in this blog yesterday....

Have you noticed, we women are good thinkers? We tend to mull things over in our minds. And then the mulling tends to move to worrying. And the worrying tends to move to fussing and fretting and fearing. And then, woe be the next person who happens to walk into the room or look at us "funny" or innocently question anything in the world. One minute we seemed to be contentedly folding the laundry, and then the next minute our unsuspecting husband or children get blasted for NEVER (we imagine) helping around the house. What on earth happened here? Thinking, I'm telling you--it will get you every time!

Our thoughts really matter. Of course, we all know that, but then we (okay, I) tend to forget it in the course of our day and we/I allow our thoughts to run to places they have absolutely no business going. I'm not talking about something slimy... I just mean those pesky, willful thoughts that go visit locations like "why am I the only one doing any work around here?" or "this house is a total mess and I'm the only person in the universe who cares" or "wonder what he/she meant when she/he said..." or "this headache is probably a brain tumor" or "some chocolate sure would taste good right about now" or "I bet if I go shopping I would feel better" or "why can't my child be more like..." or "I sure wish I had more..." or "I sure wish I had a lot less..."

The potentially alluring locations our thoughts might meander to is endless, but the result, unless we step in and stop them, almost always results in discouragement or pride or fear or criticism (of others or ourselves). But we do have a choice! We can choose to stop those thoughts right in their tracks and either send them packing or reframe them into something which is God-honoring. So, I come back to yesterday's shorthand version of Phil.4:4-7 "Pray about everything; worry about nothing; rejoice in everything." We have to choose to take those thoughts of worry and say "NO!" And then choose instead to reframe them into prayer--with thanksgiving.

Just a silly example--my wandering thoughts about all I had to do today and all I failed to do yesterday might be reframed, "Father, thank You that You have given me a family and friends so that I have things You want me to accomplish. Thank You that You promise to give us strength that is equal to all You have called us to do. Thank You that You are sovereign and in control of this day. Please show me what I am to do and then by Your power, enable me to accomplish it to Your glory. O Lord, help me to love today and not be preoccupied by all I have to do." If we would do this with all those thoughts of worry or frustration or anxiety or anger, imagine the difference in our attitudes, our answers to prayer, our relationship with God and with our family and friends.

As I was contemplating this, I thought of something I just read by Henri Nouwen:

"Our minds are always active. We analyze, reflect, daydream, or dream. There is not a moment during the day or night when we are not thinking. You might say our thinking is "unceasing." Sometimes we wish that we could stop thinking for a while; that would save us from many worries, guilt feelings, and fears. Our ability to think is our greatest gift, but it is also the source of our greatest pain. Do we have to become victims of our unceasing thoughts? No, we can convert our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer by making our inner monologue into a continuing dialogue with our God, who is the source of all love. Let's break out of our isolation and realize that Someone who dwells in the center of our beings wants to listen with love to all that occupies and preoccupies our minds." I couldn't have said it better myself (duh)! We have the choice! We can choose today, moment by moment, to reframe or "convert our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer by making our inner monologue into a continuing dialogue with God." Or as Paul put it in I Thess.5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances,; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." The way I see it, if I'm praying without ceasing and rejoicing and giving thanks always, there just doesn't leave a speck of room for those negative, destructive thoughts. So, I'm back where I started (like I've said, I'm a good forgetter and need to be reminded over and over again): pray about everything; worry about nothing; rejoice in everything. Convert thoughts into praying and rejoicing--today (and tomorrow and the next), one moment at a time. To the One who hears and loves and acts, be all the glory.