- Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...
It's June! The year is almost half over; can you even believe it? Time is flying by. All the more reason to enjoy each day we've been given! So glad you are here for some coffee time with me. :)
Just the other day I was at a get-together of a group of moms that meets twice a month. It was our last meeting of the season. We take the summer off since many of us are so busy this time of year. The devotional was on the topic of gratitude, a topic that has been on my mind a lot in recent months. One of my friends who also is a physician who teaches smoking cessation classes told us that gratitude was one thing they talked about with their patients. If a person who is addicted to cigarettes takes a moment to think about something he/she is thankful for, it can interrupt the negative thinking that leads to addictive behavior. I find that simply amazing.
Apparently scientists are finding out that we can change our brains with the thoughts we think. Thoughts create pathways in the brain, and studies are now finding out about something called “neuroplasticity,” which means our thoughts change the structure and function of our brains. Positive thoughts and activities can actually rewire and strengthen the brain areas where positive feelings are stimulated. I don't know about you, but this news makes me happy! I've always known I tend to look on the negative side of things and I am really glad to know that I have a chance of changing this about myself!
Are these facts really “new”? As I was pondering this today, I remembered a few Bible verses that speak of this very thing. Often we hear this one quoted "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8.
Ever noticed how thoughts can quickly bring you down, or up? These days it's hard to train our brains on lovely thoughts when we are bombarded with negativity from every side, let alone what we come up with on our own!
A friend's post on FB said "Describe your life the past year in one sentence!" Do you know that only a few answers to this post were of a positive nature? Some of the answers included "Walking dead!" Another was " Nothing but full of crap!" "Stress filled!" "Unhealthy!" I read that after I had just came from my meeting where we had come up with great things we were thankful for so this post really struck me. I found myself feeling saddened by how easy it is for us to look at the ugly side of life. I am not suggesting that we ignore the ugly side by any means; it exists. We are walking wounded and life is not easy, but what if we could change how much it affects us?
In my "Jesus Calling" devotional, Sarah Young said the main way we open our lives to His Light is by giving Him our thanks. The Bible speaks of this too in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 18 "Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Wow. That sounds like a tall order, doesn't it? I can think of quite a few scenarios where I would have a hard time finding something to be thankful for. It might take awhile for the worn pathways in my brain to change…but I for sure am going to make an effort!!
What are you thankful for today? Who are you thankful for? Feel free to share! Until next week, be blessed.
Jenn
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