Focusing on the Truth

 

                I have had to learn to accept that there is so much about this life that I will never understand. If I become a counselor someday I will never be able to tell my clients an accurate answer on why bad things happen to good people. I may never receive the apologies I once longed for from the people in my past who hurt me. In every new season or new relationship I enter, I am risking something. Devoting attention to something or someone may require spending money or gas milage and sacrificing a portion of my 24-hour day. In my short years of being alive I have learned that life is a complete mystery with many twists and turns. I will find myself in one place at one point and then be somewhere completely different within a year. Throughout my life people came and people went. I would think I wanted something one moment and change my mind the next. A piece of my heart would be devoted to a person or thing until an interference forced me to take that piece back because it was not meant to be in my life forever. 

            Life is a journey of risks, and it's easy to allow a pattern of trials and errors to discourage us from diving into new experiences. It's hard not to go through a series of questions and doubts on whether or not something is worth pursuing. Is this meant for me? Am I even good enough for this? Does this person truly mean what they're saying? He/She said that there's nothing wrong, but I'm just not sure. Am I on the right track? I am one of many who experience these mind tricks on a daily basis. Humans naturally try and seek truth in all aspects of life that they encounter. The reality is that people and things are very complex, so we will never find complete "truth" in anything. 

                     "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." (Isaiah 26:3) 

            There is only one real source of truth that we can find real peace in. We can be at peace when we fix our minds on God and trust him no matter what. I have realized that as I have gotten closer to God I'm a lot stronger than I think when it comes to difficult circumstances. 1 Corinthians 10:13 clearly states that God will never place me in a battle that I cannot handle. This is truth because while my family problems and heartbreaks have caused me pain, I am still alive and pushing through this life. While I prefer to avoid the hardships in life, I can take heart in the fact that I am capable of handling them because I have peace in something that will never fail me. This mindset has made opening and risking my heart for relationships with others despite a pattern of abandonments a lot easier. While friendships and relationships require bonding, vulnerability, and trust, I have to remember to place my complete trust in God. I also have to keep in check with my heart and make sure that if something in my life isn't meant to work out, I will have enough peace in God to accept it and move forward. 

        Since no human is perfect, nobody will ever have this mindset completely down. Even though I trust God and know that I have salvation, there are still moments when I am plagued with fear and anxiety over the things of this life I have no knowledge of. This is because even as a Christian I am physically just like everyone else. I get yelled at, accused for things I don't do, fall and hurt myself, fail tests, and face just about every consequence that would create thoughts of fear in any person's mind.

        A book I've been reading titled "Loving God with all Your Mind" has been a useful resource to helping me navigate my negative thoughts and worries. It has helped me recognize that most of the thoughts that I have are not even reality! When I might develop a fear of somebody in my life hurting me because somebody in my past did, that doesn't mean that it's true! If the person hasn't hurt me then it's not reality. If I am waiting for something to happen and I'm afraid that it's not going to happen, that doesn't mean that it's not going to happen! It's easy to identify our own thoughts as fact, reality, and truth. 

        Finding the peace and truth thar Isaiah 26:3 describes requires a mindshift. Instead of pondering over thoughts on what might happen, we have to remember that our knowledge is limited. We only know what has taken place in the past and what is occurring right now in the present. Our minds are incapable of expanding beyond each second. 

            "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

        God is the only one that is capable of seeing our futures, therefore, he is the only source that we can rely on for truth. Learning to trust in God's truth is a process that requires building an intimate relationship with him. Whenever I find my mind plagued with "what ifs?" there are a few different actions that help me that are described in the book:

                        1.) Look to God through prayer

                        2.) Look to God's word

                        3.) Look to mature Christian counselors (women for me)

           These actions help remind me of what's true, which is that my thoughts are only guesses and that even if they are true I will be okay because the Lord sees and KNOWS me! You can shift your thoughts away from an unhealthy route by applying God's principles to them. Choose to only think on what's true and real, which are the things that you currently know. Avoid second guessing or drawing conclusions based on someone's behavior. Believe in another's words until they give you a reason not to. 

            I promise that you will find all the truth you need once you find complete peace in God's perfect truth!

                            With Love, 

                                        - Emma