Change your thoughts and you change your world.
The Rev. Norman Vincent Peale said that. He said it a lot. There’s a reason.
It’s true.
Many casual readers of this blog – friends of friends of whom I may never hear – saw Dr. Peale’s name and their mind curled. Yeah, like lips do, only mental. Really? You mean to tell me you’re into that name-it-claim-it, blab-it-grab-it tripe, too? I really thought you were more down to earth than tha—-
Peale: “It’s not necessary to be born again. You have your way to God, I have mine. I found eternal peace in a Shinto shrine … I’ve been to Shinto shrines and God is everywhere. … Christ is one of the ways! God is everywhere.” (from an interview with Phil Donahue)
Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)
Norman did not die to enable my ultimate freedom from the consequences of ugly sin in my life. Jesus did.
When every knee bows it won’t be before Norman, any more than will everyone be proclaiming Norman as Lord. That will be Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, The Word-become-flesh, reigning King of Kings.
What Norman said in this instance, however – Change your thoughts and you change your world – is spot on. All truth is God’s truth, no matter the source. Remember brother Paul’s words from Romans 12?
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
See that little word, ‘let’? Yes, God is Sovereign Creator of everything and everybody. His sovereign will won’t change. Yet beneath that high, overall Divine purpose is God’s permissive will which responds to our interaction with Him and with one another.
No sermons here. No boring yakking with Yawni playing in the background. All that makes you want to do is sit, chin in one palm, surreptitiously snarfing pork rinds you found in the tray of the break room vending machine, doodling on your handout and thinking, “When is he going to be DUNN-UH?” Or with your device cleverly hidden, checking FB for the newest cute-cat post . . . Uh, next time? Put it on silent, bro. Pretty sure your thigh does not play the Avengers theme. Just sayin’.
Listen to this from a friend whom I consider my brother; he’s my sounding board and longtime accountability partner. “Since our thoughts create our future, do you want a middle class life or a world class life? Middle class thinking makes one aware that there is more out there, but their actions are not congruent with their desires. World class thinkers are more honest with themselves and know that delusion and self deception have no place in their performance mindset.”
Here’s the po-unt.
It’s your mindset that is absolutely crucial. Intelligence is malleable, not static. Age nor circumstances apply. Your mindset influences real-world outcomes.
Think you can’t? You won’t. You’ll shrug off everything and everyone encouraging you, no matter how positive, and you’ll ka-whump right back into being unmotivated and easily distracted. You’ll become quit-ready and reestablish an excuse-rich environment at the first sign of a setback.
Negative thinking locks up your mind.
Want to grow, to change things in and around you? Redirect the way you think!
Make it a habit and you’ll begin making a new life.
© D. Dean Boone, May 2015