Baseball Season Sneaked Up on Me!
My wife and I were going to watch this cool series (cool to us anyway) called “Driving Through History”. We looked for a particular episode and happened to catch a commercial advertising the start of baseball season. I had to do a double-take. What? Baseball season already. I guess it goes to show you that we can’t keep track of everything all at once. I am still wishing I could watch some more Kansas City Chiefs football. They are our team….long story. I just made some friends and some enemies?!
Speaking with several friends lately about trying to keep ahead of our culture, understand it, not succumbing to the weight of the world, etc., I heard several stories of the toll life has been taking on these friends and members of their families. Seems it was harder watching their loved ones struggle than the strain of struggling personally. Depression wasn’t discussed, but it was being illustrated on the faces and in the language of our stories.
I am happy to say that the end of the discussion brought us to an uplifting conclusion. We have a God who can be trusted even when circumstances are heavy.
Life can sneak up on us and surprise us – pleasantly or unpleasantly. When the tough times come our way, we need a strategy to help us stay afloat and not get depressed under the weight of it all. As I heard a guy ask in response to a comment he’d heard about being under the weight of our circumstances, “What are you doing under there?”
I will tell you our strategy and see if it helps. There are two truths among many that Carol and I put as bullets in our spiritual gun to fire at the enemy who wants us “under our circumstances”.
One is “Choose where your mind Focuses” because you can!
Philippians 4:4-8 – “
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
The second is fight the enemy with effective weapons because you must!
2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The principle my wife and I apply is this: It is easier to stop a train while it is at rest in the station than after it gains a head of steam at 80 miles an hour. Capture your thoughts quickly and give your thinking over to the truth Jesus wants you to know and believe. Do this enough and you will find your attitude and feelings will be captivated by the peace God offers instead of the anxiety the enemy wants to use against you.