Thursday; August 3

Very few of the people I talk to indicate that they want to be discouraged by the events that surround them – but they are. I have heard more people in the last few years comment on how disheartened they are about what is going on around them. I have to admit that I am one of those people. Not long ago, I was thinking about something that was bugging me and I found myself about to go scout out to find some information that would support my negativity. I had conjured up in my mind a negative thought and was about to scour social media to confirm my thoughts. Then, I had a moment of clarity – why would I want to find something that supports a negative thought? Why not just let it pass and move on to something more positive. No, I shouldn’t necessarily ignore things that are blatantly inappropriate, but what’s the value of spending my valuable time trying to reenforce what I didn’t like in the first place? How does going out of my way digging into bad news help me maintain a good attitude?

If you are one of us that is struggling with discouragement, let’s remember what Paul wrote, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8). When we adjust what we are looking for, we are more apt to find contentment in what we see.

Think About It!

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