Today, I surprised the girls by wearing my new, hand-made, Ruby Slippers... glitter and all! A Big THANK YOU goes out to Carolyn, (who heads up the art class), for helping me with the step-by-step process of converting my old, comfy black ballet slippers into magical Ruby Reds! I have to laugh... I think I left a little bit of "stardust" wherever I walked today!
While I was out and about, I witnessed someone who had decided to verbally UNLOAD, in public, all her woes, frustrations, and thoughts. It was Negative, Negative, Negative. A little weird. And a little scary. (I wont say more because the details don't really bring value to my point.)
I don't know about you, but I consider myself to be a very positive, happy-go-lucky, individual. I try to surround myself with positive, upbeat, healthy people and positive situations, while bringing positivity where ever I go. So when something really negative and angry, or loud and disruptive occurs, it can seem somewhat larger than life. The energy and spirit of "your space" can be thrown off kilter, even if you're merely a bystander or observer.
Ok... so let me switch gears for a moment, and we'll come back to that later.
Do this exercise with me:
Clear your mind, and picture an orange. A big, juicy Florida orange. It is so big and beautiful! Can you smell it? Can you picture yourself peeling back the skin, breaking it open into slices and biting into it? That orange is so ripe and ready to eat. In fact, it's dripping with juiciness! Your hands are getting sticky and wet.
Now, put that picture aside for a moment, and think of a cow. A cow... standing in a field. A black and white cow. A big, giant black & white cow. The cow is moo-ing. "MOOOOO!" There he goes, he's moo-ing again. "MOOOOO!" Occasionally he puts his head down and chomps on some grass. The grass is so thick and green and beautiful. It's a gorgeous day, and that big, black & white cow is right there in front of you, moo-ing and chewing on grass.
Ok.. now, go back to the big, beautiful orange. See it?
Now... go back to the cow again. Can you see him chomping on the grass?
Now picture an angry man yelling at the top of his lungs, standing in the middle of the food court in the local mall. He is so mad! His face is turning bright red. He's pointing his finger in someone's face and really giving it to them. He is losing it! You are so glad not to be the receiver of his outburst. You notice your're not so comfortable. The negativity is heavy... so heavy that you can feel it pressing down all around you. (Take a deep breath and let it out).
Ok... Drop the picture of the angry man and go back to the Orange... that Big-- Juicy-- Orange. Got it?
Now go over to the Cow. Can you see the cow? Black & White. Green Grass. Sunny Sky. Moooo!
Thanks for participating in this little experiment.
During our Bible Study today, we talked about the importance of Guarding Your Heart and Mind.
We shared about "GIGO" Garbage in... Garbage out! You've got to be careful about what you take in through your eyes and ears. They are gateways to your mind. But not just that... you have to be careful at what you allow to linger in your mind -- What you spend time pondering, or thinking about.
Sometimes, when we've witnessed an ugly situation, (like the the angry man in the mall), we allow that thought or memory to SIT in our mind. We think about it over and over again. We talk about it to this person and that person... re-hashing it. regurgitating it over and over again. We're not even sure why we are DWELLING on it. (Maybe we don't have something better to think about?) So we think about it a little more... and a little more.
Have you ever noticed that nothing really positive ever comes from that. In fact, if anything, we just rile ourselves up by it. We stir it all up, over and over again, absorbing as much negativity as we can possibly get from it. What's with that?
We are WASTING our mind's time with ugly negativity
that ultimately has a ugly, negative effect on us.
Philippians 4:8 states,
"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...
if anything is praiseworthy, think about such things.
...And the peace of God will be with you."
God wants us to spend that "spare time" we have with our mind, pondering the good things in life.
- Like that great purse my friend, Linda, made for me!
- Or the wonderful lunch I had the other day with my friend, Bonnie!
- Or the joyful songs God keeps placing in my heart and nudges me to sing!
- Or even how my awesome bulldog, Paully greets me at the door!
- Or the great weather we're having here in Florida... sunny skies & warm!
- And what about that beautiful butterfly that just fluttered by me!
Those are but a few of the hundreds of thoughts that will bring me PEACE.
Ok... so, how does our little experiment fit in?
Many people have difficulty with that negative experience that barges into their mind, SITS down, and refuses to leave..
The Word of God says...
"...we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ."
2 Corinthians 10:5b
Won't you join me?
So here's how it's done:
Think about the Orange. Think about the Cow. Think about the mall situation.
Think about the Orange. Think about the Cow.
Think about the Orange. Think about the Orange. Think about the Orange.
No more Cow. No more Situation. Just the Orange.
If the cow creeps back in.... Or if the mall situation creeps back in... I like to picture the handle of a toilet. I press down the handle of the toilet and flush that thought away. It's gone. I remind myself it's gone. I remind myself that I'm not going to give that thought a place in my mind any more.
I choose to think about good things, instead.
I think about the Orange. It's a lovely Orange. It's a big, beautiful orange!
You get the idea. Try it! (Of course, your happy thought doesn't have to be an orange.)
So when I got home today, I told my daughter all about the weird, verbal dumping that I witnessed earlier in the day. I went through every detail. Then I threw on my RED SHOES and I brought Paully, the dog, out for a walk.
Out there, under the dark sky, filled with stars, The Lord spoke to me...
Out there, under the dark sky, filled with stars, The Lord spoke to me...
"Ok... so you got that off your chest.
Now it's time not to think about it or talk about it anymore.
Don't waste the space in your mind!"
Enough said. I'm keeping my mind focused on the Good Things!
Because that's God's Way. And that way will bring me PEACE.
Because that's God's Way. And that way will bring me PEACE.
Won't you join me?
Gail
