What's Stuck on the Soundtrack of Your Mind?
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photo by brooke cagle on unsplash
*This devotion was originally published @joyfullifemagazine.
Recently, I had a song from a children’s film stuck in my head. It would pop into my mind at the most random times, and often I’d end up singing it out loud, to my husband’s chagrin.
I was getting pretty tired of it, so, jokingly, I posted about it on social media and asked for advice on getting a song unstuck. I received lots of good ideas, but my favorite came from my friend, Liz. She suggested that whenever the song popped up that I start singing the old hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” I tried her advice, and sure enough, I was able to unstick the song! Every once in a while the song will try to creep in, but whenever it does, I just start singing, “Holy, holy, holy..” and I’m able to clear my mental space.⠀
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Just like an annoying song, sometimes we find ourselves tormented by certain thoughts or ideas. Thoughts like, I’m not good enough, I’m alone, or Things will never change. But, unlike a silly movie theme song, these kinds of thoughts can have a serious impact on our ability to experience all God has for us. They can steal our hope, squash our joy, and hold us back from our God-given purpose.⠀
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The good news is, the same thing that helped free me from the movie song can free us from negative thoughts: replacing the thought with something better.⠀
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In advising the Philippians on where to focus their thoughts in order to attain a peaceful mind, the apostle Paul said, “You’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly” (Philippians 4:8, MSG).⠀
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It can take persistence, but if we’re faithful to bring our thoughts to God, seek His truth, and replace our unhealthy thoughts with the good and beautiful found in Him, He is faithful to renew our minds.⠀
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What’s been stuck on the soundtrack of your mind lately? What’s one truth from God you can replace it with today? If you’re not sure, just ask Him, and He’ll help you!⠀
With love,
I want to hear from you!
What’s one thing that has worked for you to get out of a negative thought rut? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!
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P.S.
I wrote this post because I’m on a mission to encourage and equip women to live the life of faith, passion, and purpose that we were made for. You can help make a difference by sharing this post with a friend (or friends!) who you think would be encouraged or inspired by it. Thanks!
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