As A Man Thinketh...

"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12:2)

 I have heard time and time again, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he".  Yesterday I had the opportunity to put this into practice.

Yesterday as I began my day my mind was swamped with negative thoughts.  So invasive were these thoughts that I could not concentrate on anything. Despite this I made the conscious decision not to give into those thoughts. Guess what happened soon after I did this?  I felt better!  

For years I have struggled with negative thinking.   Even my closest friends would sometimes call me, "Darko, Marco."  Without realizing it being a negative person became my identity. I wore this title with pride. I even rationalized that being negative was cool.

However, I realized that this type of thinking was incompatible with Christianity.  As a Christian I had to radiate hope and optimism.  If I wanted to evangelize others I needed to be a joyful and hopeful person first. Why? Because my hope was based on the unshakable reality that I was saved.  My hope was based on the solid foundation of truth.

Several years ago I read Steven Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."  Covey speaks about how one needs to be proactive in controlling one's thoughts. One might not be able to change the external, but one has the infinite power to change the internal. I realized through this that I am not my thoughts, I have a free will. 

Yesterday, I became free.