Spring 2022 Newsletter
Did you know that our brains are wired to work precisely the way that God intended them to? Let me explain. We are commanded in scripture to ‘take our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 2:5) and allow ourselves to be ‘transformed by the renewing of our minds’ in Romans 12.
Believe it or not, this may hold the key to helping stressed parents to manage the expectations they place on themselves and their children and promote better results. Here’s how. A widely celebrated technique called “The Model” states that our circumstances cause our thoughts, our thoughts create our emotions, our emotions drive our behaviors, and our behaviors our outcomes. When we replace negative thoughts (no matter our circumstances), we can trigger a positive reaction, despite our circumstances and ultimately change our results. You don’t say…Sound familiar?
It was recently, in the midst of a terrifying incident, that I realized that I had two choices, I could submit to my fear or abide with the Lord in the midst of my fear. Simply by replacing my worrisome thoughts with scripture, I was able to calm myself enough to rest, prepare and think about the best way forward in the face of real danger. I overcame fear by re-writing the inner narrative in my mind and replacing it with the truth. In the same way, parents, we can help our children to replace negative thoughts about their (real or perceived circumstances) and find real peace (Psalm 29:11) no matter what. Simple phrases like, ‘I can do all things through Christ’ or ‘This too shall pass’ allow our thoughts to promote healthy emotions and better outcomes.
When we get into the practice of taking our thoughts captive, we begin to flex a powerful muscle in regulating our expectations and outcomes, no matter our circumstances.
Our Heart 