There are a lot of stories being told right now; stories of panic and fear, stories of who’s to blame and who should have done what and when, even some stories of hope and optimism. In the middle of all this, it’s hard to know what to think and what to believe!
When you interact with people (or read their social media streams), you can almost immediately tell where they are getting their stories. Those who are glued to the media outlets often repeat the fear, blame and negativity we often see there. Those that are finding some positive in the situation tend to want to share positive stories. Others are lost in their own stories of discouragement and anxiety based on their own circumstances, (this is certainly understandable!). The point I’m making (or trying to make…it is Monday!!) is that we have more control over our narrative than we realize.
In this pandemic, everyone has a spin and unfortunately, some have even taken “sides.” We can’t control what is happening in the world, what our leaders do, or how our economy rebounds. What we can control is the story we choose to hear, believe and yes, speak!
I want to encourage us this week to stop and consider what narrative we believe and agree with. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and think about what we are thinking about! We get to decide what story we will believe, what narrative we choose to tell, both to ourselves and others. We may not be able to control much right now, but we can control this!
Listen to Proverbs 15:30: Eyes that focus on what is beautiful bring joy to the heart, and hearing a good report refreshes and strengthens the inner being.
Take some time today and reflect on this verse. Ask yourself if you are spending more time on the good reports or if you have possibly allowed a more negative narrative to take root. Determine to focus on the beautiful and the good reports–they are out there! Ask God to refresh you and strengthen you as you realign your thinking with his.