I wish you could hear a soundtrack of my brain. It would sound something like…
“I wonder what I should make for dinner. I’ll ask everyone what they’re having.”
{click on twitter}
“Speaking of dinner, I wish I could eat those words I said last week. That moment totally reminded me of Junior High. I wonder where so-and-so is now….”
{click on facebook}
“Wow, she and her twelve children are certainly cute in their matching scarves. I need some new style ideas”
{click on pinterest}
“Why am I not craftier? How could I have not thought of making a small skyscraper entirely from toothpicks?”
“Toothpicks! I wonder what I should make for dinner.”
Sound familiar? Even if you’re not clicking like me, I imagine emotions are still running through your mind one after another with each thought. Happy. Sad. Mad. Frustrated. Worried. Insecure. Joyful.
So much goes on inside us all the time.
How do we determine which thoughts and feelings really win in the end?
Last week my pastor let us in on a little secret during the service.
He talked about the verse in Colossians that says we’re to let the peace of God rule in our hearts.
That word “rule” really means to “umpire.” In other words, to call the shots. There are a lot of players in the game but in the end the umpire is in charge and says what goes.
I don’t know about you but I need an umpire.
I need someone to blow the whistle on me at times and say, “Hey, stop comparing your scarves to others’. Who God made you is exactly who you need to be.” Or “Put down the toothpicks, forget about the sky scraper and go write something. Focus on what you’re really called to do.”
And I love that peace is what God sends to boss us around. He could have let condemnation rule in our hearts. Or judgment. Or shame. But instead God tells us that peace is to be in charge.
Here’s the thing: we’ve got to cooperate.
That means choosing to let peace rule. And when other emotions or thoughts try to take charge, put them back in their place. How do we do so? First, we acknowledge them {yep, I’m jealous}. Then we understand them {because her Pinterest board is so much prettier than mine} then we replace them with truth {God says I’m fearfully and wonderfully made. I don’t need to be like anyone else.} We do that over and over until peace is back in charge.
That night when I learned about peace ruling in our hearts, it changed the mind games I’d been playing.
{click on truth}
When peace rules, we win.
What helps peace rule in your heart?
XO
P.S. Congratulations to Christina Maxwell for winning a copy of “You’re Already Amazing.” Please email me (hearttoheart@holleygerth.com) with your mailing address and I’ll send it your way! Thanks to all of you for your sweet comments and encouragement. I am so thankful for each of you! Stay tuned Friday for another fun giveaway! Oh, and speaking of facebook, are you on there? If so, I’d love to connect with you on my page!
