“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You”(Isaiah 26:3).
Emily was overwhelmed by multiple problems. Her aging mother fell and broke two of her ribs. Her son who had always been a good student, failed multiple subjects that year. At work, they changed her shift to a new schedule which turned out to be a disadvantage. To top it all, she had an argument with a relative and because of that she was no longer on good terms with her husband’s side of the family including her husband. Emily’s biggest problem was the fact that she was over. whelmed by everything that was happening to her. She started thinking about all her problems and she saw a dark future without any solution. Her own son told her: Don’t get so bitter by thinking negatively.» But she answered him:
«I can’t take my problems out of my mind.»
Her best friend was a Christian and had some psychology training so she was able to help her. First of all, she taught her to direct her thoughts toward edifying subjects to break the chain of depressive ideas by immediately replacing them with peaceful thoughts, pleasant memories and even visualization of some scenes. With pen and paper, they both outlined ideas, strategies and precise steps in dealing with the various problems. Guided by ethical and moral principles, they looked for ways to bring reconciliation in her fractured relationships and weighed the pros and cons of the various solutions of the multiple problems. Once the plan was clear, Emily kept it step by step, without having to endure the previous emotional weight and anguish. Very soon she began to free herself from the burden of over-thinking. With patience, prayer and common sense, the solutions began to emerge and many other fears never materialized.
It is said that Winston Churchill, in one of his speeches, recalled the story of a close friend who, on his death bed, said: «I had many problems in my life; many of them never happened.» A big part of the weight of our problems isn’t the enormity of the problems but their weight on our mind.
The solution to our problems is not found in worrying about worrying, but in quitting these thoughts and replacing them with edifying thoughts and solutions. The apostle suggests the best solution and urges us to «bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ» (2 Cor. 10:5).
Today, submit your thoughts to Jesus Christ and the results will surprise you.