Do ever feel like the thoughts in your mind have all crashed together? Have you ever heard the noise of a thousand different thoughts all screaming to be heard at once? The temptation is to ignore the noise, to escape it in any way possible.
We think that every thought has its rightful place, and that it should be given a chance to heard. Not every thought is worthy of thinking. You might be thinking,"How do I keep from thinking worthless thoughts?" I doubt it is possible. I haven't learned how to do it yet, but I'm not nearly advanced at this life as I would like to be.
We can't keep bad or worthless thoughts from springing to mind from time to time, but we can determine what we do with them. The key is recognizing the difference between a good thought and a bad thought. From there, we have to learn how to shift our thinking.
How do we discern the value of our thoughts? At the risk of over simplifying, we need to ask how our thoughts relate to the Word of God. Do they reflect God's understanding of good? Do our thoughts focus on things that displease God?
Paul urged, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Phil. 4:8).
Paul's words give us a framework to analyze our thoughts. We should focus on thoughts that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Imagine how this grid would effect our perceptions about life, others, and ourselves.
Let's say you struggle with feeling unloved. Is that true? Is there no one, anywhere who loves you? What about God, doesn't he love you? The cross teaches you that God does love you. You might respond, "I know God loves me, but it would be nice if others loved me, too." Are you so sure no one else loves you?
If you would focus on the truth of God's love rather than your feelings of being unloved, in time the knowledge of God's abiding love would shape your perceptions of yourself and the world around you. Living in the light of God's love would free you to love others more freely. You wouldn't have to fear that they might not love you in return, because you already have God's love.
We should give priority to the thoughts that draw us closer to God and into the service of others. Sometimes, we become too fixated on ourselves. The end result is usually destructive. We fixate, then we isolate, then retaliate. We would be wiser to fix our attention on God, and allow him to direct our attention outward to the needs of others.
In the end, our thoughts may crash together like junkers in a demolition derby, but with patience we can salvage life changing truths from the wreckage. Pull one thought from the pile (it doesn't matter which one you start with). Ask yourself, does it pass Paul's standard of worth (Phil. 4:8)? If it doesn't pass the worthwhile test, move on to another thought. Follow this pattern until you have identified the thoughts that need attention, then prioritize them in order of importance. Deal with the ones that need immediate attention, write down the ones that need to be addressed later.
Don't expect that the important thoughts will all be pleasant. Sometimes, the sting in a criticism is the kernel of truth we don't want to hear. At other times, you might be called to worry about someone else's needs, before you get to take care of your own. It may take a life time to learn how to sort out your thoughts, but it will be worth the effort.
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