Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8
Sometimes we make reactionary decisions based on our feelings, when all we really need is an adjustment in our focus.
How we feel isn’t necessarily determined by what happens to us. Often those feelings are a result of what we’ve chosen to focus on. For example, focusing only on what bothers you about someone has one effect. Focusing on what you love and appreciate about that person has another. Focus affects feelings.
Even when others hurt us, we need to remember that no one can make us feel anything unless we choose to let them. We are not victims; we choose the degree to which we allow someone to impact our feelings by choosing whether or not to focus on what they’ve done.
God knows how important our focus is, which is why he told Joshua to meditate on his Word day and night. When you meditate on God’s Word and his promises, 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.
If something is bothering you, ask yourself, “Is there something I need to do? Or do I just need to change my focus?” You can focus on all of the incredible things you’ve been promised as a child of God and fill your mind with hope and gratitude.