Marble Troubles, Sandy Blessings
Have you ever noticed how we tend to remember the negative far more vividly than the positive? I certainly have. Last week, while chatting with a friend about our past year, I found myself dwelling on the challenges like health flare-ups, ministry disappointments, and frustrating conversations. My list of troubles flowed effortlessly, while I struggled to recall specific blessings.
It struck me later that I’d been etching my trials in marble while letting my blessings wash away like footprints in the sand.
This peculiar human tendency reminds me of Joseph in the Bible. Talk about someone who could have clung to bitterness! Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and forgotten in prison by the cupbearer, Joseph had a mental museum of grievances he could have displayed.
Instead, when naming his sons, Joseph made a remarkable choice.
Focused on the Wrong Things
I recently watched a fascinating video about the complexities of the human brain and how selective our attention can be. The presenter gave specific instructions: "Count how many times the team in white passes the ball." Simple enough, right?
The video began, showing players in white uniforms and others in black, all passing basketballs to their teammates. Having seen similar psychological experiments before, I thought I was one step ahead. "Aha!" I mused smugly. "I know this trick. They'll ask about the black team's passes when it's over, trying to catch me unaware."
So rather than counting the white team's passes as instructed, I cleverly (or so I thought) tracked the black-clad team instead. I was feeling quite pleased with myself as the video concluded.
Then came the question that knocked me off my high horse: "Did you see the big bear moonwalking across the court?"
The Other Half of the Prayer
Most mornings before I leave my devotion time, I close my eyes and whisper, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). It's a prayer that has become as natural to me as breathing. The first part makes perfect sense. I want the actual words coming out of my mouth to honor God. Simple enough.
But recently, as I sat on my beanbag in my office, I paused mid-prayer. What exactly am I asking when I pray for the "meditation of my heart" to be acceptable?
The word "meditation" in Hebrew (hagion) refers to our innermost thoughts, ponderings, and even mutterings. It's what we chew on mentally throughout the day, the internal dialogue constantly running through our minds.
Not-So-Merry Melodies
I never thought I'd say this, but last night, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer gave me nightmares. No, I'm not kidding! Jason and I were exploring different Christmas playlists on YouTube, seeking some festive background music while we worked. We stumbled upon what promised to be "Epic Christmas Arrangements," and wow, what a mixed bag that turned out to be!
Some of them were breathtaking, like the gorgeous orchestral version of "O Holy Night" that gave me goosebumps. But then things took a turn. Picture, if you will, "Jingle Bells" transformed into something that sounds like it belongs in a horror movie. The tune clicked and whirred like a broken music box from some abandoned Victorian nursery. The jolly "ho-ho-ho" became a sinister echo, and those cheerful jingling bells morphed into an ominous warning of impending doom.
Beyond First Glance
I remember the first time I read the Thoreau quote, "It's not what you look at that matters; it's what you see." At first, I thought it was just a clever play on words, but the more I pondered it, the more I realized its profound truth. We all have a tendency to focus on the negative, to dramatize, catastrophize, and even exaggerate things. We do this in our daily lives, and it can significantly impact our overall outlook and well-being.
For instance, have you ever noticed how quickly we can turn a minor inconvenience into a major catastrophe? We spill coffee on our shirt, and suddenly, our entire day is ruined. We get stuck in traffic, and we're convinced we'll never reach our destination on time.