Enjoying Life Begins with a Choice

Although we don’t always have the power to change every unpleasant circumstance in our lives, we do have the power to change our outlook. Nobody enjoys a troubling or painful circumstance, but I’ve found if we look at it in a hopeful, faith-filled way, we can watch God work all things out for our good (Romans 8:28).

Enjoying life begins with the thoughts you choose to think. Yes, it is that simple! No matter what is going on in your life today, if you will choose happy, hope-filled thoughts based on God’s Word, you will feel happier. Our thoughts are intricately connected to our feelings, so if we want to feel better, we need to think better.

Think of the mind like the gas tank in your automobile. Your automobile will run well, or perhaps not even run at all, depending on what kind of fuel you put into it. In the same way, when you choose your thoughts carefully, your quality of life will improve in amazing ways!

I used to be an extremely negative and critical person. My motto was, “If you don’t expect anything good to happen, then you won’t be disappointed when it doesn’t.” I thought I was protecting myself, but in reality, I was preventing myself from truly enjoying my life and God’s good plan for me. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing…” (AMP) When we choose to be positive and expect and believe God to do great things, it releases joy into our lives!

Sure, there are some people who are born with a temperament that makes it easier for them to look on the bright side of life than others, but even they have to make choices about their thoughts and attitudes toward life.

Be honest with yourself and think about what you have been mentally focusing on and how you have been feeling emotionally and even physically. I feel certain you will see a definite connection. Nothing good comes from thinking sour, critical, and negative thoughts, but something good always comes when we think according to God’s plan for our life.

Make the Mind Connection: Enjoying your life begins with the thoughts you choose to think.

Adapted from The Mind Connection by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2015 by Joyce Meyer. Reprinted with permission of FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.