Making a Mindset Shift - The Start of Something Good

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If you could make the slightest tweak to your mindset, knowing it could make a significant improvement to your life, would you do it? Come on, let's talk about this. Welcome to Hope Blvd. I'm Geri Carlson. This is episode number three. Big Zero Three. Hey, I'm really glad you're here, friends. Thank you so much for tuning in. It means a lot to me. I'm so glad you're here. May I just take a moment to ask, if you haven't already, if you like what you hear, will you please leave a rating or a review? I'd really appreciate it. It helps me a lot. And I hope you'll follow the show so that you'll be notified when the next episode airs. I'd also love to hear from you. What would you like me to discuss on a future show? Contact me at hopeblvd.org /contact. Okay, let's get started. You know how some people choose one word to focus on for the entire year, kind of like a New Year's resolution? Well, in 2024, I chose a song to be my anthem for the year. One word just wasn't going to cut it. The song, The Goodness of God, especially Cece Wynan's version, was my anthem. In fact, it's still an alarm tone on my phone. That song really spoke to my spirit. And of course, it doesn't hurt that Cece sings it with an incredible amount of passion. For my birthday a few months ago, my daughter Amy and son-in-law Josh gave us concert tickets to see this amazing singer. It was such a thoughtful gift, and how amazing to hear Cece Wynan sing in person the song that means so much to me. Well, I had been bedridden for a year. That song came across the airwaves often, and I clung to those lyrics. I love you, Lord, for your mercies never fail me. All my days I've been held in your hands. From the moment that I wake up till I lay my head, oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. All my life you have been faithful. All my life. Though the days in that hospital were painful, lonely sometimes, scared of the unknown and of the very long journey it was taking just to find answers. I knew I had to press through those hard times and make a choice to not succumb to the dark wave of gloom that tried to creep in. Oh, there were moments it hit me. But I forced my mind to think about how this was temporary and that I will get better. Morning always comes. Each new day is filled with blessings. Are you seeing them? Do you have a spirit that is sensitive to the nudges of God? A spiritual prompting or an awareness. Take some time to be still and pray that God will help you experience those precious nudges. Don't excuse them away. They're a God thing, they're a Holy Spirit thing. I intentionally set my mind to speak to God first thing in the morning before my feet hit the floor, preferably, asking him for his protection over me and my family and to be with me in every aspect of the day. I believe that simple routine makes a difference. I remember working with a client who shared with me that she starts her day telling Satan to get out of her way. And she was quite firm about it. I asked her, Are you telling me that you start your day talking to Satan? She paused for a moment and answered, Yes, I guess I do. I offered another perspective. I asked, How much more effective do you think it might be if you started your day talking to God instead? I could tell a light bulb went on. Then we discussed how powerful it can be to make that mindset shift. Words matter and they affect our mind. For example, in really hard times when I'm pushed beyond my limits, I know it's God's strength that carries me. And that very thought sets my mind in a better place, even when things are challenging. I might call a friend to talk about my situation or put on some music or simply do some breathing exercises to focus and stay calm if it's a really hard situation. We can receive peace from the Lord that surpasses our understanding. As we read about in Philippians 4, 7. I'll admit some days that takes some effort. And some days when they allow some time for stillness, it comes a little more easily. But I encourage you to be diligent in controlling your thoughts. When negative, untruthful thoughts impede your peace, resist the lies and negativity. Not every negative thought is true, so don't accept it. In fact, sometimes the opposite is true. Sometimes negative thoughts enter our mind automatically, uninvited. Practice replacing those thoughts with truthful, positive thoughts that will help you take control of your mind. I'm not just talking about positive thinking here. I'm talking about realistic and truthful thoughts. Here's an example. If you experience negative self-talk, such as in the form of a word, you know, it just pops in your mind like loser, worthless, ugly, you get the picture. Then challenge that thought and ask yourself where it came from. Is it a name a student called you years ago when you were back in school? Or a teacher, a coach, maybe an uncle or a parent. Immediately tell yourself it's not true and think of a truthful positive word or statement to replace the negative word. And do that every time a negative thought tries to invade your mind. This takes dedication and a smidge of time to develop this practice, but it's highly effective. It works. I encourage you to make it a lifelong practice. Don't expect to see immediate results within days, although you could start to, but over the course of months, if you're consistent, this will become almost like second nature. So don't accept harsh or untruthful thoughts that crowd your mind. You can take control and do something about it. In time, those negative thoughts will diminish. I just wanted to add that about automatic negative thoughts and automatic negative self-talk. And I hope it's helpful to you. Let me tell you how I know God has been with me every step of the way. And hopefully this example will help you see this in your own life. I look at the history of my hardest times and I am able to recall ways God has shown up. And even in those still moments when I thought perhaps God stepped away, I quickly remembered that God always keeps his promises, and he said he would always be with me. My faith take today comes from Lamentations chapter 3, which starts out pretty dark actually, with Jeremiah stating that God has been punishing him. But then Jeremiah remembers from the depths of his soul what his life experience has taught him. Basically, he had a mindset shift too. He said, This I recall to my mind before I have hope. The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. There I have hope in him. It goes on to say that the Lord is good to the person who seeks him. So friends, God is with you, and there is always hope. Remember, that doesn't mean you'll always get what you pray for. I mean, Almighty God is not Santa Claus, as we know. When I think of stories where people are suffering, dying, or experiencing poor human conditions like hunger, my mind wants to go to a place where God scoops in and saves the day. After all, isn't that what a loving God does? Yes, sometimes He does. I knew when I was at my worst suffering, I could pray for God to relieve me of my pain. Of course, there's nothing wrong with praying for that, but we know that if Christ suffered and we are a follower of his, we should expect suffering as well. I also know that God has a bigger view to end all evil in the final days on earth. I'm like many of you and wonder why God can't end suffering now and also end the evil forces later. I believe, at least in part, it may have to do with timing. If any of you are watchers or fans of the show The Chosen, the writers show the disciples periodically and repeatedly ask Jesus, when Lord, when? They eventually understood that his answer would often be soon. We all know that our timing is not God's. I knew lying in a hospital bed that God would answer my prayer and the thousands of other prayers offered on my behalf, for which I am so grateful. And I knew that God wanted to end my suffering and even heal me because He loves me and doesn't want me to suffer. But I also knew my healing, complete or partial healing, might not come this side of heaven. I desperately needed the pain to stop, even if I wasn't healed right away. But the pain went on for months and longer. So we pray and hope and wait on the Lord. I'm sure most of you have experienced losing a loved one. My dad was my best friend growing up. I went with him everywhere. He was such a great dad. Some might say he had the worst dad jokes, but I thought they were brilliant. I laughed at everything he said. I loved his silliness. Sadly, toward the end of his life, he suffered tremendously. He fell and hit his neck in such a way that, well, he basically broke his neck, causing excruciating pain that no medicine seemed to touch. He was instantly bedridden, wearing a neck brace, and his suffering went on for months. I prayed for his suffering to end. I knew he lived a long life, but I would have loved for God to heal him so we could still have him here with us. He was married to my mom for 67 years. So that was a tremendous loss, especially for her. God's mercy was to call my dad home. I would rather my dad's suffering end and he be taken from us than for him to linger. To think any less would be incredibly selfish. Some people might think it was awful that God didn't answer our prayers and keep my dad here. But God did answer. Why do we think our prayers go unanswered? I believe we lose sight of the fact that these prayers are often answered just not in the way that we had hoped. In studying God's word, I learned over the course of my life that God's answers will not always be understood by me. There are mysteries of God, which we can certainly discuss, but we are not to bring controversy to. And until that day and beyond, I choose to praise God in the good, the bad, and everything in between. I've learned, I believe, I know to my core that God is on the throne and he knows what he is doing. That's faith. We all have faith in something, and it's what we put action to. It's what we actively believe, and it shows up in our life. The bottom line, and please receive this, friends. If I know what God knows, I would want him to answer my prayer the way he answers it. If I know what God knows, I would want him to answer my prayer the very same way he answers it. That's a powerful thought to me. If we study the gospel, those first four books in the New Testament of the Bible, we will learn how Jesus lived, how he acted, how he related, and how he loved. He is our perfect example. Jesus is everything. As I read about the way he lived when he walked this earth, it is a reminder that I am to behave and act in the same fashion. Look, I fall short of living a holy life every day. That's for sure. But I work hard on having a mindset that will be pleasing to the Lord by taking action and making good choices and loving well. It's an ongoing commitment. And even though I sometimes fail, it's important to get back up and put forth the effort to honor God by living and being a Jesus follower. Our Lord is so deserving of that, isn't He? I know there are so many wonderful stories out there, and I'm going to ask you to share your hope story with me. I'd love to share it on the show. Here's the deal. I'd like you to tell me about a time when you almost gave up but didn't. This is about you. Write me a condensed version of your story, keep it to about maybe a half a page, please. And tell me about a time when you almost gave up but didn't. And I'll share it with our listeners. It could be a tremendous encouragement to others. Go to hopeblvd.org and leave a message on the contact page. I'd love to hear your story. Again, it's Hope Blvd and please it Boulevard is abbreviated for a reason. So it's hopeblvd.org /contact. I appreciate you so much. Thank you for listening. Please hit the follow or subscribe button to follow the show. And if you like what you heard, please leave a rating or review. I love you all. Thank you for your support. Until our paths meet again, make it a great day for you and someone else. And remember, friends, there is always hope. Always. If this episode has been helpful in any way, please share it with someone who gives you some hope and encouragement. Thanks, friends.