Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Joshua 1:8 (NLT)
If you picked a person in your life—maybe a parent, friend or your spouse—and tried focusing on all of their faults for a week, what do you think would happen? At the end of the week, would your love and respect for them increase or decrease?
Your focus affects your feelings. If you focus on everything that bothers you about someone, you will end up frustrated and angry. Your feelings about someone improve when you focus on what you love about them.
Do you ever make reactionary decisions based on your feelings, when all you really need is an adjustment in your focus? How you feel at the end of the day isn’t determined by what happens but what you have chosen to focus on. And no one can make you feel anything unless you choose to let them. You are not a victim; you choose whether or not you will allow someone to impact your feelings by choosing the thoughts you think.
God told Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night for this reason. When you think about God’s Word, you begin to see God’s perspective and you can choose to focus on it. Instead of zoning in on the negative, you are filled with hope and optimism. Feelings of gratitude, peace and joy follow—not necessarily because anything has changed in your circumstances but because you have chosen the right focus.