Captivating Our Mind

During my quiet time this morning, I watched the birds chirp and fly freely across the sky. They weren’t stressed about what tomorrow would bring or what they would eat. They glided with no care in the world. As my eyes linger, it reminded me of Jesus' Words in Matthew 6:26: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

There are seasons in my life that I’m able to cast my care upon the Lord and honestly not worry because I have seen His faithfulness over and over again. And yet there are times of complete uncertainty, and this ability to truly just cast my care upon the Lord seems impossible. And yet this is precisely what He beckons me to do.

He says, “Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.” (Psalms 37:8), but instead He wants me to "Cast my burdens upon Him” (Psalm 55:22), and “guard my heart, for everything I do flows from it," Proverbs 4:23. Wow, this is powerful. If I focus my attention on the ‘what ifs’ and stress about the future, I will make my decisions based on those assumptions. Yet if I choose to captivate my mind, basking in the Lord’s presence, and trusting in His goodness, my actions will be based on this reality. And peace will encompass me.

A week from today, Esperanza will face the delicate hands of her brain surgeon and his scalpel (click here). The uncertainty of the outcome looms, and if I allow my mind to go down the rabbit trails of the ‘what ifs’, I could spiral and miss out on the beauties of today. For "tomorrow is not promised" (James 4:14). However, I would much rather spend my moments fixated on the goodness of God than the stresses of the unknowns.

Will you join me today in fixing our eyes on Christ? Allowing ourselves to be so captivated by His beauty rather than by the winds and the waves of life. Reminding ourselves that our decision to do this or not will impact our peace, as well as the peace of those we come into contact with.