Have you ever found yourself caught in a negative thought pattern loop?\u00a0 Something happens and you are suddenly thinking painful or angry thoughts.\u00a0 You may have been hurt by someone you trusted, had something tragic happen that haunts you, or are dogged by your own failures.\u00a0 Whatever the cue that starts you on the negative mental path, you find yourself rehashing the incident and feeling the pain again.\u00a0 After a while it becomes a habit and your mind will automatically revert to the pain. You want to forgive. You certainly want to forget. How can you be free?\u00a0 There is a way.\u00a0 You can break bad thought habits the same way you break your physical ones.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen that there is a definite habit loop:\u00a0 a cue sets us off on a habit cycle, we follow with a routine, and then achieve a result. Today we\u2019ll look at something deeper — how habits affect your healthy spiritual<\/em> living plan. I found that it is possible by doing the same steps that rid us of physical habits.\u00a0 First see the pattern.\u00a0 What causes you to go off in that negative spiral? Then make an effort to avoid those cues. If it is a person who keeps bringing up the situation, you may have to step away from him.\u00a0 If it is a place or event, you may need to take a detour around those things.<\/p>\n But what if you can\u2019t?\u00a0 What if you can\u2019t get away from the cues?\u00a0 For many people it is a day when something tragic occurred. You can\u2019t stop the calendar.\u00a0 Others may find the people triggers are inescapable.\u00a0 What can you do if you can\u2019t avoid the mental cues that send you into a depressing and\/or angry downward spiral?<\/p>\n Try changing the routine.\u00a0 Determine ahead of time that when the cue appears, you will make a conscious decision to change the direction of your thoughts.<\/p>\n I learned to do this when a well-loved business that promised such hope and was, well, fun<\/em>, bit the dust.\u00a0 Every time I saw another business in that chain — or even the logo — I felt a surge of sorrow. That was followed by anger over circumstances that caused it to fail, a series of \u201cwhat ifs\u201d that plagued me, and inevitable depression.<\/p>\n I could avoid the cue, to some extent, but it would mean avoiding friends who have the same business, and driving out of my way to avoid seeing the signs. Not practical.\u00a0 Instead I decided to use the logo and the mention of the name to prompt me to pray. I decided to:<\/p>\n By the time I get to number four in the list, I\u2019m no longer angry or upset.\u00a0 Because it\u2019s true.\u00a0 He is in control.\u00a0 He is bigger than mistakes — those of my own as well as those of others.\u00a0 Making a conscious decision to change my thought patterns to rehearse His goodness and truth instead of following the tiresome rutted path of anger sets me free.<\/p>\n It enables me to forgive and to move on.<\/p>\n My pastor\/husband often advises people who can’t overcome grief over the loss of a loved one to use this very plan. \u00a0Turning from habit thoughts of “what if” and “if only” to thanking God for the gift of time they had with their beloved \u00a0is\u00a0often the first step out of the abyss of pain.<\/p>\n Are you in a tiresome rut of anger and depression over a situation that just won\u2019t go away?\u00a0 Take it to God.\u00a0 Ask Him for help to turn it around to a habit of prayer and communion with Him.\u00a0 It may take a bit for the habit to become automatic, but it will.\u00a0 And freedom is wonderful!<\/p>\n Eating to live and living for Christ,<\/p>\n Susan Jordan Brown<\/p>\n Have you ever found yourself caught in a negative thought pattern loop?\u00a0 Something happens and you are suddenly thinking painful or angry thoughts.\u00a0 You may have been hurt by someone you trusted, had something tragic happen that haunts you, or are dogged by your own failures.\u00a0 Whatever the cue that starts you on the negative…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-special-messages"],"yoast_head":"\n\n