Breath Prayer and Words for the Day: Think less; love more.
I knew I was officially an adult when I received my first lecture from my doctor on the benefits of healthy eating and lower cholesterol. “You are what you eat,” he said. Sound dietary advice.
I think the same advice can be applied psychologically, as well. We are what we think. What we think about shapes how we view the world. What we think about becomes the lens through which we see the world.
Especially during this time of year, it is easy to allow our thoughts to wander from the true meaning of the season. Sometimes we focus on a conflict that may rear its ugly head. Sometimes we focus on all of the things we hoped to accomplish and achieve over the previous year that didn’t come to fruition. Sometimes we stress over having enough money to provide the type of Christmas that we think our friends and families deserve.
The problem is, when we focus our thoughts on these types of issues, we re-wire our brains to see the world though the lens of these issues. Everything that we experience is seen through a lens of conflict, or disappointment, or fear.
These thoughts of course, are not what this season is all about. This season is about hope. Of promises God has made which are already fulfilled, and which will be perfected in the future.
So what lens do you view the world through? What is the focus of your thoughts? This Advent season, may we all view the world through the lens of Jesus Christ: the lens of perfect love.
