Beautiful Things

Please Note: In this article I am not suggesting that people who are dealing with hard things should just "think positive" or "put a smile on your face". On the contrary, that would be insensitive of me to suggest, and besides that approach would probably backfire. The following article is a story of my personal struggle and my particular bad habit of letting my mind dwell on possible negative outcomes and on evil that is in the world. Please keep this in mind as you read this article. 

Anxiety is something that affects all of us. Most people get anxious when they find themselves driving in congested traffic or when they have too much work to do and too little time in which to get it done. Students often get anxious when they have been given a lot of homework or when facing exams. Anxiety can be a good thing when it motivates us to get things done, but it can also be a bad thing when it affects our ability to perform every day activities or when it affects our health. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, over 40 million adults (19.1% of the population)  in the United States experience an anxiety disorder. Approximately 7% of children also have anxiety issues. And those figures are only referring to anxiety disorders. There are also many people struggling with depression, others with eating disorders, and the like. How about  you? Do you struggle with anxiety or any of the related issues? Are you looking for answers? I hope this article might be of some help to you in your personal struggle or as you try to help a loved one.

 As some of you may know, I have also struggled with anxiety. I guess it was already a problem before Covid, but with the pandemic, lock downs, etc. my anxiety rose to uncomfortable and disruptive levels. However, about two weeks ago I reached a culminating point in my struggle with anxiety. From the morning of October 6 I have experienced much less anxiety. What happened you may ask? That morning I felt very much inspired. So much so, that I just HAD to get up and write. This is what I wrote in my diary that morning....

God gave me inspiration this morning as I lay awake on my bed. It started from this verse: Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things."

From my childhood until now, I have not put this concept into practice. In fact, I have done the exact opposite. Yes, I love to think about and dwell on such things as: frightening or scary ideas, bad / corrupt things that people (or governments) are doing, possible bad outcomes that could take place, etc. I let those thoughts play over and over in my mind. I have a vivid imagination, too, so as they play out in my mind, they become scarier, darker, and more evil. Basically, I freak my own self out. If I think about it, what a dumb thing to do! But I adopted this practice, trained myself in it, and never stopped to evaluate if it was a good habit or not. And indeed, at age 44 I have perfected my art. I am a professional. As my husband has often jokingly suggested, I should write a horror story -- it would probably be a best seller! 😂

As with most things in life, practice makes perfect. But I am horrified to think where this practice has taken me. As I have said, I have ruminated so much on negative possibilities and ideas, that I have often freaked my own self out! As a result, from time to time I experience high levels of anxiety, panic attacks, digestion issues, and insomnia.. But now I want to put on the brakes. I want to change this bad habit of mine! 

I feel like God has given me the answer in the early hours of this morning. He has given me the clue to my problem.in that verse above -- Philippians 4:8. I need to stop thinking about negative things and instead spend lots of time thinking about true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable things! Excellent and praiseworthy things! Cuz I don't want to write a horror story. I want to write stories of joy and peace, stories that inspire and motivate. I want to write about, think about, and live out God's story. 

I realize it's not going to be easy to change a habit that has been perfected over many, many years. How will I stop the negative thoughts from coming into my mind? Well, I have come up with my own strategy. It is an illustration that will help me stop the negative thoughts from coming. I know that I am good with my imagination, so I will put that talent to good use. 😊 Here's my strategy. Once I have thought something through or made a decision about something, I will not allow myself to take it out and stew over it again. I won't allow myself to ask, "But what if ... ?" or "Maybe ... will happen." How will I do that? I will imagine that I am going on a trip. I have already packed my bags, so that would be stupid to unpack again or to even pull some things back out. My things would get all messed up and I would have to stop, open the suitcase, and re-pack everything! So every time I think, "But what if...? or simply imagine the worst case scenario, I will tell myself, "No! Put that back in. You're already packed!" 

And then, I'll remind myself again of Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." What simple yet profound words from God, through Paul and Timothy! For me, life-changing words! I don't think my life will be quite the same again. As Paul and Timothy say in the next verse, Philippians 4:9: "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

That is what I wrote in my diary on the morning of October 6. My personal struggle in life has been dealing with anxiety. Perhaps you can identify with that and my diary entry can be of great help to you. But perhaps you have other difficult things on your plate. Perhaps there is depression. Perhaps you are dealing with marriage problems, a loved one that is sick or dying, or something else that is stressful. It is my hope that Philippians 4:8 will be a great source of inspiration and hope for you too. It doesn't mean that we gloss over our struggles. Of course not. They are painful and they cause us to have many "negative" feelings (sadness, anger, grief, etc.) We must acknowledge the pain that is there and the feelings that we are having. But at the same time, after we have acknowledged those feelings, we can then choose to "think about such things" as the beautiful aspects of our life in Christ. Then, despite the fact that the difficulty might still be there, God's peace will fill our lives.

If you feel blessed in some way by Philippians 4:8, feel free to write about it in the comment section below. And, if you haven't already done so, please either "follow" or "subscribe via email" so that you can read more of my articles in the future. Grace and peace to you all!   

(To see the original article from the National Alliance on Mental Illness referred to in my first paragraph you can go to: https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders)