Any Thoughts?

Think about what you're thinking about! ~ Joyce Meyer

On a cold day, do you ever find yourself thinking about soup. Oh, how glorious soup would taste on a cold day; the warm broth going down your throat, warming you inside and out. In fact, the more you think about it, the more you're determined to have it. But how will you get it? Will you go to a restaurant and spend money you don't have? Will you borrow money from a friend, only to have to pay them back? Oh, now that you've set your heart and taste buds on soup, nothing will taste as glorious as that soup you've been dreaming about for the past 5 - 10 minutes. What will you do if you can't have that soup? Who will you be mad at? Who will you blame?

Does any of this sound familiar? What about at your job? Does your boss ever say one thing, only to change his or her mind later? Does it seem all too unfair to you? What about at home? Have you asked your spouse time and time again to help with the chores--to at least rinse the dishes before putting them in the sink? Why are you always the one getting dumped on? Even in volunteering, it seems to you that you are the only one who ever steps up, goes the extra mile, gives the extra hand, and is expected to do it every time...Right?

Are you sure about that? Are you 100% sure that soup is the only thing that will satisfy you, that your boss is trying to jip you, that your family doesn't consider your needs, that those you volunteer with and for are trying to dump on you? Those are dangerous thoughts to have. Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." If all of your thoughts are consumed with being mad at the world because you can't have your soup, then sooner or later you will lash out at someone because you didn't get what you thought you had coming to you, what you thought you deserved. But there's also a flip side to that: if you turn your thoughts, even ever so slightly, your whole attitude and demeanour will change. Think about your thoughts as a pattern of numbers. If you take 3 to the fourth power, the end result is 81. But, if you take 4 to the fourth power, the end result is 256. As you can see, a small change in your life can make a big difference. So ask yourself, "What am I thinking about?"