We all grew up hearing the phrase "garbage in, garbage out". I know I did, at least at school. It got to the point where I would just roll my eyes and sigh and think to myself what a load of crap it was. We hear about the dangers of exposing kids to violence and sex in the media, video games, etc. We hear about listening to certain kinds of music and how it can affect us. To be honest, I never paid too much attention to it all and I got sick of it. Until I had kids of my own, but even then I never really thought much about it in reference to myself.
I admit, maybe I'm a little slow about catching on to certain things, being 36 and I'm just now beginning to really understand some of this.
Phillipians 4:8 says "Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things"
The Message version puts it this way, and I think it gets to my point a little better. "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not to curse."
Like I said, sometimes I'm a little slow at catching on to things. This verse had been coming up in my life a lot over the past two years and I always saw a little bit of worth in it, but didn't understand and appreciate the deeper value of it until recently.
I have posted a lot about my struggles with depression, anger and hopelessness in the past and how in the last several years things are starting to turn around for me. Looking back, I realize the times when I wasn't struggling with depression so much were the times when I was proactive in my life about what I was reading and listening to. When I mean proactive, I mean instead of just watching shows because they were what was popular, or listening to what was on the radio because it was what was on at the time. I mean, proactively picking shows to watch that uplifted me, music that made me feel, books that made me feel happy.
But I never really put all that together with this verse until recently, probably within the last year, and even more so in the last few months. I have discovered that for me personally, I am what I think. I am what is going on in my brain, and to be honest that is quite a lot. Yes, I have times when I'm really into certain t.v. shows, or playing video games, and while they don't really affect my entire day, when I am proactive about what is going on in the background of my life, whether it be music, listening to sermons online, or Bible studies, my favorite artists, reading books about matters that are important to me, IT DIRECTLY AFFECTS HOW I FEEL AND MOTIVATES MY ACTIONS.
I find that when I am feeling uplifted, encouraged, joyful that living a life in which I am actively walking with Christ becomes so much easier. When I am not consumed by feelings of sadness, frustration, depression and anger the ability to see Jesus is so much clearer. So I've been asking myself if that is why God put this verse in the Bible? Because He knows and understands that what we are or are not thinking about can give us a clear view of Him, or cloud our vision. That if we are proactive about thinking about such positive things it literally pushes out the negative.
The key word there is proactive!!!! For me? When I am depressed or feeling angry, upset...or right now dealing with a lot of physical problems, just being proactive can be a problem in itself. However when I am? My whole day can change! My perspective changes. The impossible becomes possible. The pain lessens, the negative fades, I start to see beauty in the ashes. Just by putting on a favorite praise song. Music seems to be my best helper, and I am learning, struggling, but learning to be proactive about listening to what I know will uplift me.
Christian music is my motivator. Praise and worship. It fills my mind with the Lord. The song I have on repeat right now in my iPod is Natalie Grant's "The Desert Song" from her Love Revolution album. I went through a phase where all I listened to was Mandisa's "Broken Hallelujah".
Yes, I know...I AM slow to catch on to some of these life lessons, and spiritual lessons, because this may be something most everyone else may already know. But I still have to add, by being proactive about what I am putting into my mind, I have to be just as proactive about what I DON'T put in my mind. That is just as important. What may help me focus may be different from anyone else.
Anyway, this has been what has been on my mind today. Today, I feel as if I am finally standing on my own and Jesus is no longer carrying me. I am able to walk with Him of my own accord, and I am so much better for it.
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