Distractions Causing Distance [From God]Sýnishorn

Introduction

Welcome to Day 2 of “Distractions Causing Distance [From God]!” In yesterday's devotion, we discussed how God’s Love causes us to be free! Today, we will introduce our first distraction–Worry.

Devotion

Distraction #1: Worry!

“Will my family get sick? Am I doing all I can? What will we eat? What do others think about me?…” If we are honest, some of our minds continuously reverberate these kinds of questions daily! Our minds begin to race the second our feet touch the cold or carpeted floor in our bedrooms. Usually, this race persists until we finally return to bed at the end of the day. The unfortunate truth is our minds naturally dwell on difficulties and troubles that distract us from the important things in life like developing our relationship with God, family, and friends! So let’s take down our first distraction–Worry.

When I began meditating on this topic, three Scriptures immediately came to mind. First was Matthew 6:27 (NLT) that asked, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Then, Proverbs 12:25 (NLT) reminded me that “Worry weighs a person down.” Lastly, Jesus told us in Matthew 6:34 (NLT) “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

The Word is abundantly clear about worry, and we all know that increased worry causes increased anxiety which causes increased mental and physical health concerns. So why do we worry? Why don’t we simply adopt Timon and Pumbaa’s slogan and lifestyle? You know, "Hakuna Matata!"

Well, I will start by sharing how I [falsely] justified my worry:

1. A little worry combined with fear is my instinctual way of emotionally preparing for the worst outcome. I am like a gazelle on a safari! My worry and fear keep me from becoming consumed by the lion (life). Right? WRONG. Along with the increased physical and mental health risks, worrying was increasing my paranoia. Simply put, my physical presence was not a “gift” to my Heavenly Father, family, friends, and work colleagues because I was so busy worrying about being consumed by life. I was not building healthy relationships and enjoying life!
2. My worry allowed me to thoroughly analyze a situation to develop a well-rounded solution. Solid logic, right? WRONG. Worry primarily focuses on the “difficulties and troubles” (or negatives) associated with a situation; thus, my perception and analysis are skewed to focus solely on the negative outcomes.

Those are my [busted] myths associated with my worry. Take some time to examine your own myths… then bust them!

Now that the jig is up and we have eliminated our excuses to worry, let’s answer the million-dollar question: “How do we combat worry?”

The million-dollar answer is that we must fully understand and appreciate this fact: You are what you THINK!

A fairly recent study following tens of thousands of people found that those who were optimistic had a significantly lower risk of dying from several major causes of death, including heart disease, stroke, cancer (including breast, ovarian, lung, and colorectal cancers), infection, and respiratory diseases.

Sounds like a pretty clear answer to Matthew 6:27!

The study concluded that several proven benefits of thinking positively include:

• Better quality of life
• Higher energy levels
• Better psychological and physical health
• Faster recovery from injury or illness
• Lower rates of depression
• Better stress management and coping skills
• Longer life span

I’ll take the benefits, please!

Now that we understand the importance of positive thinking, how do we put it into practice?

1. Make a concerted effort to focus on positive things.

This is a tough one because sometimes I just want to sulk. In my personal life, I had found a way to justify sulking. I felt that I deserved to be frustrated and disappointed! “Coincidentally,” my Pastor emailed me to remind me that though the overall circumstance may appear to be negative, I can choose to dwell on the negative aspects of the circumstance or fix my thoughts on the positives. Yep, it is a choice!

Try this!: Write down three positive things about your current circumstance! Even if the list starts with “I am breathing,” celebrate the fact that you are still alive with an opportunity to make it through this circumstance with an amazing story to tell!

2. Practice gratitude.

Practicing gratitude has been proven to reduce stress, increase your self-esteem and the self-esteem of those around you, and foster resilience amongst you and your inner circle. Every day, find no less than three things to thank God for (and thank Him) and find no less than three things to thank others for (and thank them). When offered an opportunity to complain and criticize, “thank!” When you think of the positives, “thank” for the positives.

3. Now that you have recognized and shown gratitude for the positives, create and maintain a gratitude log.

Label it, “People and Things I am Grateful for.” I know. I know. It sounds corny, but it works! Maintain your log in a place you visit often, and keep focusing on that growing list.

4. Open yourself up to humor.

Laugh a little! I heard someone once say, “If you’re happy and you know it, tell your face.” We cannot allow life to beat us down so much that we walk around like a bulldog eating Lemonheads (Just picture that for a second–maybe that was your laugh for today). Take out time to enjoy the pleasures of life. God has always intended for us to enjoy the pleasures of life. I mean, think about how beautiful the Garden of Eden was! We were designed to be happy. So take a second, look in a mirror (or prepare for a selfie with your electronic device), and make the biggest smile you can! Now let the brightness of that smile, your positive thoughts, and your attitude of gratitude melt the negativity away!

5. Check your inner circle!

You are who you hang with. In the country, the old folks would say, “If you hang with stray dogs, you may catch fleas!” Spend time with “Positive Paulas” versus “Debbie Downers.” Think back to my story about my Pastor. Had he begun to sulk with me and feed my negative thoughts and emotions, I may not have survived that circumstance. Remember this, “Debbie Downers” wallow in defeat, while “Positive Paulas” bask in triumph!

6. Start off on a positive note by practicing positive self-talk!

Instead of beginning with worry, begin with a prayer, devotion, meditation, and affirmation or declaration that you will have a positive day. Then carry that declaration with you throughout the day. As you walk into a situation that appears negative, say to yourself (or aloud if you’d like), "I will see the positive in this!" Still have that mirror or selfie handy? Let’s try this right now! Smile and say something positive about yourself, and make the declaration that, “I will see the positive in every situation!”

I believe that these steps will not only eliminate worry, but these steps will also foster a more healthy relationship with God and everyone you come in contact with!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing us the opportunity to see another day and meditate on Your Word. You are truly our Source of happiness and strength. We pray to You for forgiveness for failing to see Your Beauty in every circumstance, and we ask You to help us to fix our thoughts on You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Day 3!