(The following was originally published at www.CareyGreen.com.)
Your mindset is equivalent to what you believe. This mindset not only acts as a lens that you see life through, but it also acts similar to a compass, in that our beliefs will guide us through life.
What you believe is fundamental to the way you live life. In other words, your mindset matters!
It matters because it impacts the WAY you handle the things that come into your life – good and bad.
So, let’s begin by asking this question: What are the sources of the greatest pains in our lives?
- Disappointments
- Condemnation
- Disapproval
- Circumstances
- Abuses
All of them are handled either better or worse, according to the mindset you have about them.
Theologian A.W. Tozer once said:
“What comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.”
That’s a statement that hints at the fundamental mindset we all need to embrace – the mindset that is at the root of our healthy mindset overall.
But how does it relate to these sources of pain in our lives?
Well, if we don’t believe that God is absolutely good, all the time; and that He is in absolute control over everything, even those disappointments, then we will be riddled with all kinds of doubts and uncertainties.
You see, foundationally, we need to get our hearts and minds settled on the fact that God is completely in control, and He is absolutely good. That’s just a fundamental truth.
Now, the Buddhist answer to dealing with disappointment and pain is to empty yourself of all desire. Desire is the root of the problem. But the Bible teaches the exact opposite. It teaches that the problem is that you don’t want enough! What I mean by that is that you don’t want the VERY BEST, which is God.
Romans 8:28 tells us that “We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
Notice that it’s HIS purpose that we are called according to. So, if we are to get our mindset in the right place, then the very foundation is to know that God is good, He is in control of everything, and He is all powerful.
How can we do this? One perspective is to consider all the things that hit us in life first running through a filter before encountering us. Before anything can get to you, it has to run through that filter. And that filter is God.
And here’s the kicker: by the time it gets through the filter and hits you, it finds you filled up with God!
So, whether your day consists of laundry, dealing with kids, dealing with co-workers, contracts, or multi-million dollar listings, or perhaps even hard-to-deal-with people or worse yet, spending a day in the Emergency Room…
How could maintaining a mindset that God is always good and always in control affect these circumstances?
Tackle your day with that mindset in mind. Write it on a 3×5 card and take it with you if you need a reminder. But let that mindset guide you like the world’s greatest compass!