Someone once told me, “Change the way you think – change the way you feel!”
That phrase has a nice thought behind it but can be impractical for some things.
For instance, if you’re sick, running 103 fever, throwing up, and you think to yourself, “I feel miserable”, I’m not certain just thinking “I feel great” will change how you feel.
But, laying aside uncontrollable physical ailments, it’s a phrase worth considering.
After all, Jesus said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Matt 9:4) and I believe He was telling those around Him to redirect their thoughts.
I believe myself to be a somewhat positive thinking person most of the time, a statement riddled with oxymorons.
I don’t automatically just think the worst about a person I meet; I stick around a while and I am often shown what kind of person I have met. Of course, first impressions can be deceiving.
In the classic movie Pollyanna, the character changes an entire town with the idea to change the way your thinking; to turn misery into gladness.
This idea of taking away the negative and replacing it with the positive is not a new one.
Isaiah has told us, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” Isa 61:1-3
Mind you, this way of positive thinking and turning things around doesn’t always have the right affect on others.
When Jesus quoted the same scripture all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Luke 4:28-29
That’s a bit radical for something they had probably already read in Isaiah and thought to themselves, “That’s nice!”
True admonition on this subject, of course, comes from God’s word and deals with more than just changing a thought, feeling, or action.
I deals with a genuine commitment from you to God to change every aspect of your life; how you think and react, what you say, where you go, what you look at.
Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established. Prov 16:3