Have you ever had something happen that bothered you and you kept thinking about it?

Has something disappointing and negative happened in your life? Maybe you felt misunderstood, judged or someone said words that hurt you? Perhaps you find yourself thinking about all the depressing news in our world.

How we think about these situation affects our emotions, can affect our actions and can rob us of peace and joy.

Not long ago, I realized that I was frequently thinking about something that had happened that seemed like a setback. I kept meditating on the event and, after a few days, noticed my heart was really sad and troubled. I began to pray and ask God what he required of me.

I read John 14:1 and knew God was speaking to me. Jesus said in this passage, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.”

I knew I needed to trust God and give it to him, but more importantly, I needed to change my thinking because it was affecting my attitude. I had to be the captain of my thoughts. My thoughts and emotions are my ship to steer.

Proverbs 13:15 says, “Sound thinking makes for gracious living.”

I want to live a grace-filled life. No one makes you or me think negatively. We cannot blame anyone for our negative thinking but ourselves. Negative thinking sidelines us, and you and I have too much to live for. We all get to choose what we think about. When we fix our thoughts on the positives in life, it gives us grace to handle things and experience gracious living.

Proverbs 23: 7 (TPT) tells us, “For as he thinks within himself, so is he.”

Negative thinking produces negative emotions and can bring harmful reactions and actions.

Filling our mind with God’s word and good thoughts brings us to a better place in life.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV) tells us what to think on. It says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”

I began to change my thinking and that began to change my emotions and feelings.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

I began to ponder what this scripture looked like in my situation and those thoughts made me smile and have hope.

Hope anchors our soul. I cannot tell you that God has fixed my situation yet, however, when I think about the possibilities with God instead of the negative, I feel so much better.

There are plenty of negative reports around in the news and life. It is imperative that we fix our thinking on what God is calling each of us to and our God-given purpose in life.

I challenge you to begin to see your tough situation through the eyes of God. What does Ephesians 3:20 look like in your circumstances? Let me encourage you to begin to pray for what is above what you could ask or think. What would be your dream in this situation?

The answer might take a while to materialize, but we can grow in our trust, our hearts will be at peace, and the negative emotions will flee.

Kathleen is a Hill Country author, writer, speaker and podcaster. She is passionate about helping people bring God into their everyday life. She can be reached at [email protected]. To purchase her book or listen to her podcast, visit her website, www.kathleenmaxwellrambie.com.