Whether you have a doorbell or people just knock on your door, how many of you rush to the door and fling it open without checking who is there first? I know my grandchildren are guilty, and I am sure that when I was younger and more innocent, I would do the same. But I have learned through watching news stories, hearing what has happened to friends and acquaintances, and just the cautionary voice in my mind, that it is a good idea to see who is there before I open the door to invite them in or to converse with them.

Did you know that you should treat your thoughts the same way, especially the negative ones? I have no idea what research says about the number of thoughts we have per day, but I know that it’s more than I can count. And each one of them comes into our minds first (that’s the knocking) and we can choose to open the door to our hearts or not. That fear or worry or negativity that assaults us constantly can be dealt with like closing a door on an uninvited guest. We have to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones. I recommend three positive thoughts, including a refocusing thought, a positive promise from God (which requires hiding His Word in your heart so you are ready to use it when you need it) and a simple prayer for God to keep you focused on the positive.

For example, I have been in a lot of pain lately because of my shoulder. I am not complaining, just stating a fact. For a few weeks there, I was getting so little sleep that the first thought in my mind every morning was how tired I was and I wished I could go back to sleep. I realized that I was starting my day with negativity, so I purposed to start with positive things instead. I would tell myself, “Yes, I hurt. But I am thankful for the rest that I got and the ice that helped the pain.” Then, I would quote a favorite scripture like Psalm 121, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills where my help comes from. My help comes from the Lord, Maker of Heaven and earth.” Next, I would say a simple prayer like, “Lord, I need your strength to get through the day.” It would be nice if I could report that the negative thoughts only occur first thing in the morning, but they keep coming back and I keep having to answer the same way, with positivity. Not because everything is going well but because I am absolutely positive that God is right there with me, even in the storm that is my pain.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It isn’t. Sometimes, I still get caught in the trap of opening the door and entertaining the negative thoughts. Ultimately, I catch myself and turn around, close the door and work on practicing Phil. 4. We have the power over our thoughts, and we can welcome in the good ones while shutting the door on the bad ones. Focusing on positives is a good habit to form. I am not there yet, and I may never be “there”, but I am at least aware and working on it and I close the door more often these days. I hope that your day is filled with beauty, God’s promised fulfilled and positive thoughts about God, yourself and others!

Blessed to be a blessing!