Today's Unglued Blog Update
As usual...I'm just mainly putting what Lysa has said in her book with some (very little--actually maybe not at all today) of my own insight/thoughts.
Our mouths are filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." ~Psalm 126:2
If honor, encouragement, & love are the characteristics of the friendships I want in my life, I need to foster these qualities in my relationships. One way to do this relates to the matter of inside chatter. We engage in inside chatter when we hyper-analyze a conversation after the fact. The back-and-forth in our heads sounds something like this:
When I said this, she probably thought that.
Now she probably thinks this.
Maybe I should say something to fix it, but then she might think I'm a crazy overanalyzer.
Oh good grief, why did I say that?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, then throw your hands in the air & praise God right now that you don't struggle with the demon of inside chatter. But if you do know what I'm talking about, praise the Lord & exhale that you're not alone.
Now that I've exhaled, I'm going to inhale a new possibility. The possibility that I can foster the honor, encouragement, & love I desire by giving my friends permission to quiet their inside chatter. What does that look like? It might be a just a quick phone call or test [or knowing they'll read this] to say, "When you & I have a conversation, you don't ever have to worry about how I'll analyze everything later. I'm not thinking you're crazy or high-maintenance or wacky or not one of the cool kids, okay? I love you. And if I need clarification about something, I'll just call & process it with you." What a gift a phone call or text like this would be to me cause I sometimes drive myself crazy over a conversation I've had with a friend.
Inside chatter is such a crazy thing!
Friendships are like plowed open fields ready for growth. What I plant is what will grow. If I plant seeds of reassurance, blessing, & love, I reap a great harvest of security. Of course, if I plant seeds of backbiting, questioning, & doubt, I reap a great harvest of insecurity.
Indeed, today is a great day to call or text a friend & say, "I love you. That's all I'm thinking. Period."
The more love & joy I pour into others, the more I experience in my own life. But I have that overflowing joy -- that super-abundant joy -- only when I focus on God's truth & His Word. Psalm 126:2-3 would make a lovely lead song for the soundtrack of my life:
Not that everything is always peachy. Good gracious...this stuff is tough! These issues can be more complicated than three simple questions. But holding my thoughts accountable is a good place to start.
Addressing the issue of inside chatter will lead me to freedom. Not just freedom from negative things like doubt & insecurities, confusion & suspicion. But freedom to pour out love on others. Freedom to think clearly. Freedom to obey God's call on my life no matter what others think. My thoughts really matter.
After all, how a woman thinks is often how she lives.
I think I need to say that again for myself to let it really sink in: How a woman thinks is often how she feels. May I think on & live out truth, & only truth, today.
Stay tuned for my next Unglued Blog Update: My Soul Needs to Exhale
Our mouths are filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." ~Psalm 126:2
If honor, encouragement, & love are the characteristics of the friendships I want in my life, I need to foster these qualities in my relationships. One way to do this relates to the matter of inside chatter. We engage in inside chatter when we hyper-analyze a conversation after the fact. The back-and-forth in our heads sounds something like this:
When I said this, she probably thought that.
Now she probably thinks this.
Maybe I should say something to fix it, but then she might think I'm a crazy overanalyzer.
Oh good grief, why did I say that?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, then throw your hands in the air & praise God right now that you don't struggle with the demon of inside chatter. But if you do know what I'm talking about, praise the Lord & exhale that you're not alone.
Now that I've exhaled, I'm going to inhale a new possibility. The possibility that I can foster the honor, encouragement, & love I desire by giving my friends permission to quiet their inside chatter. What does that look like? It might be a just a quick phone call or test [or knowing they'll read this] to say, "When you & I have a conversation, you don't ever have to worry about how I'll analyze everything later. I'm not thinking you're crazy or high-maintenance or wacky or not one of the cool kids, okay? I love you. And if I need clarification about something, I'll just call & process it with you." What a gift a phone call or text like this would be to me cause I sometimes drive myself crazy over a conversation I've had with a friend.
Inside chatter is such a crazy thing!
Friendships are like plowed open fields ready for growth. What I plant is what will grow. If I plant seeds of reassurance, blessing, & love, I reap a great harvest of security. Of course, if I plant seeds of backbiting, questioning, & doubt, I reap a great harvest of insecurity.
Indeed, today is a great day to call or text a friend & say, "I love you. That's all I'm thinking. Period."
The more love & joy I pour into others, the more I experience in my own life. But I have that overflowing joy -- that super-abundant joy -- only when I focus on God's truth & His Word. Psalm 126:2-3 would make a lovely lead song for the soundtrack of my life:
Our mouths are filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
Not that everything is always peachy. Good gracious...this stuff is tough! These issues can be more complicated than three simple questions. But holding my thoughts accountable is a good place to start.
Addressing the issue of inside chatter will lead me to freedom. Not just freedom from negative things like doubt & insecurities, confusion & suspicion. But freedom to pour out love on others. Freedom to think clearly. Freedom to obey God's call on my life no matter what others think. My thoughts really matter.
After all, how a woman thinks is often how she lives.
I think I need to say that again for myself to let it really sink in: How a woman thinks is often how she feels. May I think on & live out truth, & only truth, today.
Stay tuned for my next Unglued Blog Update: My Soul Needs to Exhale
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