Flabby Thinking

Sometimes we can imagine the worst in others—really, with very little effort. Why?

My former pastor’s voice echoes in my mind long after he leaves the church and heads for home. He moves on to his routine, but his words spin recklessly without reprieve. “Your thought life has become flabby.”

Undoubtedly, he intended it as a passing comment. It was not the main point of his Sunday sermon. Yet, the remark caught my attention.

How do I allow my thoughts to become flabby?

How many times have I heard a doctor say I need to run a few tests, only to leap ahead to hospitals, surgeries, and an updated will. Flabby thinking.

Or how about you? Have you ever found someone’s comment (or action) to be hurtful, only to create a story way worse than what actually happened? Flabby thinking.

What about those times when you feel like God is silent or distant or has forgotten you? You know scripture tells us he can’t compromise his faithfulness, but you begin to doubt. Flabby thinking.

Last night one of our grandsons asked to say bedtime prayers with us. It has been a while since we heard him pray. One line stood out. “Please remove all the bad thoughts from my mind and fill my mind with good thoughts.” This little nine-year-old boy has stumbled onto a truth that we all need to practice.

Are there thoughts you’ve been dwelling on that you need to remove or replace? Our grandson hit on a big concept through his prayer. It’s not just about removing the negative thoughts but also about replacing them with truth. What do you know to be true about a situation? If it is not true, replace the thought. Just like working out at the gym, when we exercise discipline in our thought life, we will become healthier.

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. (Philippians 4:8 NIV).