Our Thoughts Matter

Woke up in the wee hours of 2021 already tired and a little grieved. I got up, made my coffee and sat at the foot of our very dry Christmas tree that was still standing in my living room. I’ve been so distracted. Haven’t we all lately?

This past year carried a mental strain for all of us that is not usually present. It’s a dull roar in our heads of constant new developments; sickness, threatened economic shutdowns, political messes, controversial vaccines, etc…

Who is in the hospital this week? How will we as healthcare workers be affected this week? Will we have school this week? Will we have church this week? Will we play sports this week? Is our favorite restaurant still open? Will Covid hit our family this week? If so, what is our plan?

These are daily thoughts. They are very valid thoughts. We aren’t making them up. They are strong possibilities to consider each day. We are thinking about those things a lot. However, our minds are limited creations. They can only take on so many thoughts at once. You know what we haven’t thought about nearly as much?

Jesus.

Maybe this is your story, as well. It’s not that we don’t know He is there. It’s not that we don’t trust Him. It’s not that we haven’t recognized His sovereignty.

We just haven’t thought about Him like we should. We’ve thought about everything else more.

As I march into this new year, I want to think about Him more than all the other things.

As a familiar blanket, God brought Philippians 4:8 to me this morning. “Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Let’s remind ourselves that only JESUS is ALL of those things. We know disease and dissension to be true in the world, but those things are not lovely and worthy of praise. Some of our thoughts fit the bill of some of those characteristics, but only JESUS fits them all. Fully the truth, yet fully beautiful in every way.

That is the Jesus that is worthy and deserving of our thoughts.

He cares what we think about. He cares what pervades our thoughts. He cares that we remember Him.

Let’s give Him the gift of properly ordered thoughts today.

Jesus, would you be paramount over all our thoughts today? Jesus, would you remind us that a mindset on you is a mind at peace. In your name we pray, Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Mysti Chustz has been following Jesus since she was six years old.
• She is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. Her most favorite roles are being wife to Philip and mama to Coleman, Mary Lamar, and Clay.
• If one verse was used to describe her life, it would be Philippians 1:6. “Be confident of this, the One who starts the work in you is faithful to complete the work in you.”