Have you ever wondered why your life is the way it is?

Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks, so is he.”  We are not talking about the isolated casual thoughts that appear from time to time, but the thoughts that we tend to dwell on.  If we continually go back to thinking negative thoughts, we experience a negative quality of life.  If we put our thoughts on positive, bright things, then we will experience a positive quality of life.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8-9 (reading from the Message Bible)  “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.  Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

Paul urges us to focus and ponder on the good things, things that harmonize with God’s perspective and God will be able to produce an ever increasing quality of life in us.

Most people find it difficult to intentionally hold a specific thought for more than a couple of seconds.  Many of us have lost the capacity to focus our thoughts on that which we want to focus on.  But we can regain that capacity by taking time to practice focusing our thoughts on the good things.

Decide what kind of a life you want to experience, then begin to focus your thoughts on what that life would look like, feel like and even taste like.  As you do your emotions will begin to change to reflect the new predominant thoughts.  The more your emotions change, the more your underlying feelings will change.  When your underlying feelings change then your experience of life changes.

What kind of thoughts do you want your life to reflect?