“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
These quotes from the New Testament of the Holy Bible may be, by some, dismissed as out of hand. It IS Christian doctrine, after all, and not everyone is a Christian. But, take the scripture references away; pretend that you read this in the editorial section of The Saturday Evening Post. This is a true statement. True for Christians. True for Muslims. True for Jews. True for agnostics. True for atheists.
The point I am attempting to make is this: how you think determines in large part how you act, how you feel, and how you behave toward others. We all kinda have “tapes” playing in our heads most of the time. (When I’m quiet, I have music in my brain. I can’t help it. That’s just the way it is….) What is on that tape (your thoughts) matters. If you dwell on the bad things in your life like the car that cut you off in traffic, or the slow service at the restaurant—you name it—then your attitude and your actions will reflect it. You’ll be in a perpetually bad mood and that’s not good for anybody. Let it go.
Instead, replace those cranky thoughts with some good ones: whatever is pure, lovely, worthy of praise. That’s where you need to be. Is there someone out there whom you cherish? Think of them. Did someone do an uncommon kindness for you? Remember that fondly. Maybe give them a call and let them know that what they did made a difference to you. If you can make a habit of this type of thinking, your whole world can change. And, then, you can have a positive impact on the people around you. That’s good for everybody.
- David Henslee, P.T., CWC