We’ve all experienced it, haven’t we? We buy a car and suddenly, we see our car’s model everywhere on the road. We notice what we have on our mind. This is true in all of life.
(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)
On a recent trip to Israel, one man on our bus mentioned he saw beehives everywhere. Really? Beehives? I had never noticed. He was a beekeeper. We see what we’re thinking about.
- As a woodworker, I notice furniture everywhere I go—whether it’s made well or not.
- My daughter always notices a person’s shoes first.
- A girl-crazy guy walks in a room and in five seconds has the most beautiful girl pegged.
What you focus on will be what you see. It’s how God made us—regardless of how we use that ability. What do you see in these key areas of your life?
- Your job
- Your spouse
- Your children
- Your parents
- Your church
- Your life in general
Be honest. When you think about each of these areas, are your initial thoughts positive or negative?
What do you see?
See What You’re Looking For
It’s easy to see all that’s wrong about life—including the “wrongs” that simply reflect our disappointments with how life “ought to be.” You will see what you’re looking for in these key areas. If you focus on the negatives, well, that’s what you’ll see.
In fact, it’s all you’ll see.
Try something different for a change.
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. —Philippians 4:8
If you want to see positive qualities in people or situations, you can do something today that will help: “Dwell on these things.”
(Photo: By Shayan Sanyal. Flickr. CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
What You Focus On is What You’ll See
“Dwell on these things.” Start looking for what you want to see.
- Catch your children doing something “worthy of praise” and tell them. Affirm the behavior you desire.
- Determine to focus on the “honorable” qualities of your spouse, rather than all those petty disappointments that fog your mind.
- Find something of “excellence” in your workplace, and point it out to your coworkers and your boss.
I know, I know. You have true hurts. Your spouse has major flaws. Your children could be better. Your boss just doesn’t get it.
I get it.
But all of those negatives notwithstanding, there are positives you are missing by dwelling on the negatives all the time.
When you think about it, nobody can “Dwell on these things” but you. Determine today—and every day—to find something good and to speak it.
Start looking at what you want to see.
Tell me what you think: What helps you dwell on the positives? To leave a comment, just click here.