Have you ever realized the power that your thoughts have over your life?
Last week my husband came home from work with a brownie for me (this girl loves her chocolate!). That simple act, to me, communicated his love and my heart was glowing as I remembered other romantic gestures Jason had done in the past. I felt very secure in his love. Fast forward two days (that’s right just two days) and we sat down to compare calendars. It was going to be a busy week, and I felt like we didn’t have a lot of free time to be together as a family. Jason didn’t see it that way. I immediately felt as if he didn’t cherish our family time together and he wasn’t sensitive to my needs (yes, I am a bit dramatic). That evening I struggled with feeling misunderstood in our marriage.
As I was brushing my teeth that night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Just two days before I was dancing on the inside thinking I was the luckiest bride in the world and now here I was questioning if my husband would ever understand my needs. How did such a drastic shift take place so quickly?
The answer: the power of my thoughts.
The night Jason brought me home the brownie, I recounted several ways in which he has expressed his love for me over the years. The night we disagreed about the calendar, I recounted the times we haven’t seen eye to eye. Satan fed me the lie that Jason didn’t care for my needs and I dwelt on it, contemplated it, and eventually my spirit agreed with it.
The Bible is full of wisdom regarding our thought life! Jesus explains the power of our thoughts when he equates hate with murder and lust with adultery (Matthew 5:21-28). Philippians 4:8 tells us,”… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Paul also tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to, “… take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.” And, I love the New Century Version translation of Proverbs 4:23 which reads,
It is a simple equation. Negative Thoughts = Negative Emotions. Positive Thoughts = Positive Emotions. I need to start realizing the power my thoughts have over my perception of the state of my marriage. I need to obey the Scriptures by dwelling only on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. I need to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. Focusing on a disagreement or disappointment in my marriage (past or present) never fits into God’s guidelines for my thoughts and so it shouldn’t be an option in my life. Cut and dry. It’s that simple. My challenge is to be intentional in thinking positive thoughts about my husband and our marriage every time I want to dwell on anything negative!
*photo credit: Pinterest
Julie says
This happens to me all the time. Great reminder to focus on the positive!
Darby Dugger says
Thanks, Julie!
Becky Brodbeck says
Thanks for the reminder! Love that verse in Phil. I need to tape it up around my house-pronto! The truth makes such a difference.
Darby Dugger says
Thanks, Becky! It’s amazing all that the Word of God can do! 🙂
Amber Horton says
I have been married for almost a month now and it is sad that I already do this! It was very uplifting to know that I am not the only one and that there is hope in Christ, even when terrible negative thoughts seem so hard to control. I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog it is already a blessing!
xx Amber
darbyd says
Congrats on your recent marriage! I pray that anything you read on this site will be an encouragement to you and a blessing for your marriage! God is good… even when our sinful nature gets in the way.
Lilou says
Excuse me, I want to know what this book is author ?
Donald Overlander says
Thank you SO much for the inspiring article on how powerful our thoughts are in who we become and how we influence our spouses, family, community and world through such a simple act as controlling our thoughts.
CJ says
Oh my goodness!!! I have been exactly there so many times! This is something I truly need to work on. I allow myself to get off track with my thinking so easily (especially during that time of the month when I find myself horomonally challenged 😮). I am going to make this a scripture to memorize. Thank you for your encouragement.
Darby Dugger says
You’re welcome. Thanks for leaving a comment.