When you are sick you desperately want to change the way you are feeling. You may reflect on the reasons why you got into this state. The kids brought a bug home. You obsessed on chocolate and now your immune system is out of commission. You stayed up late working on that all important presentation or term paper. And now THIS!!!
And what makes things worse is that being sick has changed over the years. It seems that colds or flu bugs have grown more violent. They last longer and hurt deeper! I remember being OK with getting sick so I could stay home from school as a child. But if being sick was how it is today I might have wanted to tough it out in the classroom. Perspective is everything.
But isn’t it strange how things change when you are well? You have energy to begin new projects. You are excited about the possibilities in every moment. You are patient with those you come in contact with. And you often engage again in the careless behaviors that contributed to your fall from health.
Today I want to change my perspective by changing my feelings. I want to challenge you to do the same. Stop to imagine and visualize how you feel when you aren’t in your current state. Does that change the choices that you are considering? Would you eat the same today if you could travel back in time into your sick bed with all the aches and pains? Would you make the same risky behavior choices while feeling the pain of the consequences? If you pause to reflect AND FEEL you might change your mind.
As smart as we may think humans are we invariably do what we feel like doing. And those who have mastered making better decisions focus on different feelings.
When I get into my van I can choose to think about how fortunate I am. For years I have loved the feeling of being in a studio like sonic environment. I love listening to music and feeling the bass. I love the thud of a kick drum pulsing on my body and inside my ear. The experience of hearing music through speakers that are crystal clear and at the same time have a full bass and warm mid section is for me like being in the story or in the movie. The music is beautiful to observe but when I feel it deeply and then feel like I’m part of the song…well that to me is as good as it gets.
You are part of the song!
But if I get into my van and forget what a wonderful sound system it has, and focus on my failures and regrets or problems and challenges, I will have wasted a wonderful opportunity. God knows how much I like being in the song and he blessed me with a vehicle that has an amazing sound system that allows me to experience joy at the highest level. But there are many days when I get into the van and miss out on the joy God provided for me through this gift to me because of what I choose to focus on.
You and I are part of the song, but we may not experience the joy of the performance because of what we choose to focus on.
I encourage you to choose your thoughts. Don’t let others decide your focus because they shouldn’t have that much power and often don’t have your best interest in mind, only their own. Don’t let texts and tweets rob you of joy at the highest level and being part of the song… your song!
I hate being sick. But when I take the time to reflect on how I arrived where I am, when I meditate on my feelings during my different experiences, and when I set my mental and emotional focus with intention, I begin to live the life of abundance my creator intended for me to have and enjoy. I make better choices that help to keep me out of the doctor’s office.
Your life is a beautiful song. Compose it. Direct it. But please, don’t miss out on the performance. After all, it’s your song.
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Great message. Especially for the New Year. Deacon Young