May 20, 2009, was the kind of day I had been waiting for all spring – no storm clouds looming in the horizon, no bone-chilling drizzle – just the perfect temperature for outdoor sports, opened windows and perfect breezes delivering delightful sounds.
For example, as I walked past my kitchen window that day, I stopped to absorb the unusual melody of a bird. I had heard that occasionally birds are sent with special songs from heaven to lighten our days. On the off chance that it was true, I stopped to listen and to enjoy.
Everyone wants to feel good; not just physically but also emotionally. Unfortunately, there are plenty of circumstances to feel bad about and to worry about, but meditating on the negative only makes us more miserable. Experience tells us that our thoughts can be our best friends or our worst enemies.
That’s why heeding the advice in Philippians 4:8, 9 LB is so important. It reads, “Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise for and be glad about. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Much is written about peace of mind, but the best advice available is revealed in this Philippians passage. The God who created us encourages us to employ our thoughts for our benefit rather than our detriment. He wants us to be happy and tells us how. Therefore, we have a choice to make and it begins with taking control of our thoughts - or not.
Deciding to "think about all you can praise for and be glad about,” I reminisced about what has made me happy in life and realized that it really was the small experiences, not the major purchases or accomplishments that brought real joy. The result was that, while penning my personal feel-good thoughts, I forgot the troubling events of the world.
For example, here are some things I love: 1) smiles, 2) seeing a familiar face in a crowd of strangers, 3) good hair days, 4) a good book on a rainy afternoon, 5) cute baby noises;
6) colorful autumn leaves, 7) family and friends, 8) making people laugh, 9) giving gifts that please, 10) watching kittens or puppies play; 11) the satisfaction of a good day’s work, 12) the aroma of a freshly opened can of coffee, 13) comfortable shoes, 14) heavy snowflakes drifting straight downward, 15) polite people; 16) answered prayer, 17) a good night’s sleep, 18) returning home after vacation, 19) blue jeans and sweatshirts, 20) people who know me and still love me; 21) happy people, 22) being in love, 23) crisp mountain air and mountain streams gushing over smooth stones, 24) stories with happy endings, 25) precision marching bands in parades; 26) new decorating ideas, 27) an organized purse, 28) a baby’s first steps, 29) daisies, and 30) life.
Those are a few of my favorite things. What are yours?
