A life changing realization for me was realizing I could learn to manage my mind. I had always assumed that what I thought was just what I thought but I came to understand the power I have to choose my thoughts!

I realized my power to change my experience of my life by changing the way I think about my life and about my circumstances and about people.

This is such good news. We can become aware of our thinking and decide if we want to keep thinking the thought or not. We can ask ourselves, “Is this thought serving me? Is this thought creating the feelings I want to feel?”

We practice paying attention to our ways of being, the ways we have conditioned ourselves to respond, the shame or blame or fear we live in we have trained ourselves to be in.

We usually try to change our actions/our life by willpower. We must change our thinking. We must tell ourselves a new story and build powerful thoughts that change the way we feel and motivate us to take the actions and create the life we want. We have agency over our thinking.

This is our God given gift, the ability to renew our mind. What we believe determines how we behave. God has given us the ability to decide what we want to think and believe.

We must take control of our thinking. We must intentionally choose what we want to believe. We tend to think we don’t have control over our thinking, but we do and realizing this and practicing thinking new truth thoughts transforms us.

Our brains naturally want to form habits, so we need to practice forming habits that bring us life.

There is a part of our brain that just wants to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy. This part of our brain often offers us unhelpful thoughts in an effort to keep us “safe.” There is also a part of our brain where we get to decide what we think and believe. We practice thinking the life-giving truth thoughts over and over and over until they become our norm, until the habit is formed.

For so long I told myself a terrible story about me. I told myself I was unlovable because I made mistakes and disappointed people all the time. I told myself that I wasn’t good enough, didn’t measure up, was a failure. I told myself I was unworthy of love, and blessings, and celebration because I was a bad Christian, a bad wife, a bad mom. I believed a terrible story about myself. I shamed myself about so many things. I thought this was just true because I could find evidence for these things in my life, and other people told me how I messed up, didn’t get it right, didn’t measure up and disappointed them.

In the last ten years, I have learned that I can tell myself a different story. I decided to believe that I am loved and am loveable. I decided to believe what God says about me that I am enough. He says I am His child, His beloved daughter. I decided to believe that He loves me no matter what and all I have to do is receive His love. I decided to believe that I am filled with the Holy Spirit and that He fills me with grace and power.

I decided to stop looking for all the ways I didn’t get it right, overreacted, used bad tone, disappointed someone and instead look for all the way I did something right, was kind and thoughtful. I decided to look for the ways I showed up for my husband and boys. I decided to practice intentionally loving others well without expectations.

Our brains will find evidence for the thoughts we think. If I am focusing on the negatives, then my brain will show me evidence for those negatives. When I decided to focus on the positive my brain began to find evidence for those positives.

As humans we are seeking love, validation, acceptance, recognition, relief. I came to realize the ability I have to give these things to myself. We can never get enough love, validation, acceptance, etc. from external factors or from others. We must realize that the love, validation, and acceptance we are seeking God has already given us. We just need to believe it is ours and receive it!

I do not always manage my mind well because I am a human with human emotions and human tendencies. As I practice managing my mind and intentionally choosing my thoughts, I am getting quicker at realizing when I am thinking poorly. I am getting better at admitting my mistakes, apologizing if necessary, and trying again.

As I have rooted, grounded, centered myself in God’s Truth about me, now when I get knocked off center by life, which happens, I know where to go back to. I know that God’s love is my source and strength and I want to get back to His peace as quickly as possible.

Our thoughts are powerful!

We have the power to choose what we think. Choosing our thoughts takes intention and effort and is so worth it. We are always in the process of becoming, and we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us helping us if we ask for His help.

Let’s practice believing and receiving God’s love for us! Let’s stand firm on His Truth!

Let’s practice paying attention to the thoughts our brain is offering and asking ourselves is this what I want to think and believe. Is this thought beneficial to me?

And let’s practice self-compassion as we figure it out!

Keep seeking and discovering your power to take your thoughts captive! Keep seeking and discovering your ability to renew your mind on Truth! Keep seeking and discovering God’s transformative work in your life! Keep seeking and discovering His miracle and mystery!