“You have power over your mind ~ not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a lovely weekend and prioritized your self-care! As the weather gets warmer in SoCal, be sure to stay hydrated and rest between activities. It’s incredible how quickly we become dehydrated without even realizing it.

Last week, several important people in my life celebrated birthdays. I wasn’t able to be with most of them, which made me sad, but I sent my love and best wishes with the hope that they would enjoy themselves on their special days. It reminded me that we don’t always have control over the situations in our lives. We do, however, have control over how we react to those events that may cause us challenges.

Emperor and Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, appropriately stated it this way:

Photo by Cheng Lin. No copyright infringement intended.

I wonder how many times we’ve felt helpless during stressful moments, believing that there were no viable solutions or ways to resolve our dilemmas. Perhaps we’ve made some questionable choices and now have to find answers to more complex questions than initially intended. Maybe we thought we had a great idea, but things went terribly wrong. Or, maybe, we didn’t do enough research, thinking we’d be able to avoid any potential obstacle creatively.

It’s possible that we did everything right, planned extensively, conducted thorough research, examined all viable resources and options, and assessed the risk factors. Somehow, however, we neglected to factor in human error, and things went awry. How could we have known to consider that element? How could we have overlooked the potential? The questions mount as we conduct the analysis. The process can be unforgiving.

So, here’s the good news. We don’t have to let it consume us! You read that correctly. We don’t have to let the situation overtake and control us. The outcome may be beyond our control, but how we perceive it is definitely not. We have control of how we think about things and how we allow our perception of self to be shaped.

There’s a well-known idiom about a glass being half full or half empty, which highlights the contrast between optimism and pessimism. It’s all a matter of perspective. We have the power to decide if we’re going to allow a situation to determine how we think and feel about ourselves, or if we’re going to harness the power of our mind to learn, change, and grow from our experiences.

This is an application that can be used with almost anything in our lives. Take some time to pause and consider how we want to view a situation. Then take some additional time to determine how we want to react to it. Finally, be sure that we have taken control of our minds when making a choice, regardless of the presenting issue.

And there’s so much support in Scripture! Here are just a couple of passages:

“Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. I believe this applies to many areas of our lives, not just to faith. There’s truth in knowing that our freedoms include thought, speech, worship, demonstration, perspective, assistance, and so much more that others in the world aren’t privy to. I hope you’re able to celebrate your freedoms this week. And I hope those freedoms include tolerance and acceptance of things that may not come naturally to you.”  Romans 12:2 (AMPC)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

“The Lord will make you the head of things, not the tail; you will be at the top of things, not the bottom, as long as you obey the Lord your God’s commandments that I’m commanding you right now, by carefully doing them.”  Deuteronomy 28:13 (CEB)

This week, let’s pause to consider perspective when we’re feeling pressured in any given situation. We may need to take a moment to assess our reactions and determine if we’re responding to an outside event over which we have no control. If so, let’s adjust our mindset and make a course correction. Let’s utilize our power to our optimal advantage and make it a great week!

Be Well & Be Blessed!

Lucinda