We All Can by Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog 1/11/22

  We All Can by Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog 1/11/22

 




Being goal oriented I’m not happy unless I have a set focus. Spontaneous and winging it makes me a wreck! Lists I never finish, projects that are nearly accomplished and short-term plans that are endless would be my mode of operation.  We’re all wired differently.  You know that, but yet we think we’re all alone in our frustrations.  Humans are sinners.

 

 

I listen to a lot of podcasts geared toward Christian women’s teaching. Somehow, we’re alike. Yes, when I begin to understand the reality of humanity, I’m comforted. This aging process allows me to understand this death thing. I heard my mom say she was tired of life and ready to go. She’d been struggling with cancer for over a month. Her death came quick.  A diagnosis and in 30 days she was dancing with Jesus. I’m 58 and Lord willing I have another 30 years or so. Thinking a finite time frame puts a bigger jump in my step.

 

 

Accomplishing goals feels fantastic. Allowing God to use you as he chooses might be a bigger struggle. We want what we want when we want it! But then comes the brain bumbles. That’s what I call it when your head is filled with lies you suddenly believe. Nothing has changed from yesterday and still our emotions spiral down. Just recently I’ve come across a technique I wish I’d learned at an early age. The process is called mind mapping.

 

Mind mapping reminds me of diagraming sentences in middle school.  It begins with what you think about in any given day. First write down 10 things you’ve been thinking about today. *I could only come up with 6* And what emotions are attached to those thoughts? Take that main thought and make a circle around it, then stream out other small circles that attach to that main emotion. Perhaps you’re worried? Work, children, finances and the world may be some offshoots. Then sub headings over each might be: my job is in jeopardy of closing or my children are in need of salvation. You see how all your emotions intertwine. Here’s the helpful point, where is your trust? Are you able to fix any of these? And thinking on this exercise is nice, but actually writing it out somehow puts perfect perspective into action.

 

The bible does say “As a man thinks, so he is.”-Proverbs 23:7  We all can change the way we think which drives the way we live. Everyone wants to live in freedom. Recently we decided our iguanneas have grown up enough to be free from the cage. We’d gotten them when they were wee sprouts. My husband opened the cage door. I expected the lizards to leap out! And here I sti watching the cage for over an hour with the gate wide open and they don’t know they can leave? Are we that dumb too? We can leave the bondage of caging our thoughts to negativity.

 

 

Eventually I know they’ll figure it out and travel on their way, but it made me think of my own heart. I know the truth of God’s word and who he says I am. But honestly, I often choose to stage caged in my stinkin’ thinkin’.

 

A human is created in the same way every time. A human is identified as human because that’s who we are, duh?  So why do we all think we’re so unique in our struggles. Someone who you think has that perfect IG life isn’t sharing the caged moments of torment. Sinking into the trap of whatever negative emotion you may be experiencing doesn’t mean living there for a lifetime. Who is able to give the life of abundance? Christ himself tells us we’re in a process of renewing our minds.  Emotions are not the enemy.

 

 

Growing up I was told to just buck up! Okay, so that does have some merit. And idetifiying the enemy also has merit. What is it exactly you’re fighting everyday? As we expose the darkeness into the light soon we recognize the folly. We can all fight the fight with the right tools. Who comes to a knife fight with a balloon? Ridiclous to think about but we’re going to win the battle with the ARMOR of God, with the Word of God, with the prayers of the saints! Begin to break free. It’s been a long couple of years to break under the pressure. No more. WE ALL CAN overcome. The first step is to see the cage door is open. I mean open your eyes to the obvious goodness.

 

 

 

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