“Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts.”

I heard this quote once, maybe on the radio. I wasn’t sure where it came from until I looked it up for this blog post. It’s a quote from a sermon by Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. Regardless, the words stuck with me. I found myself tossing them around in my mind, wondering if they were true.

Do our thoughts really have that much impact in the direction of our life?

In a word, yes. I think they do, and I think Groeschel was right when he said that our lives move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.

Our thoughts have power, and like any power, that power can be harnessed in a positive way or a negative way.

For example, if your strongest thoughts throughout the day are centered on Christ, you will likely have a perspective of peace and joy that only come from him. You won’t have the time or energy to worry or be afraid. Your life will move in the direction of communion with your Creator.

On the other hand, if your strongest thoughts are centered on stressing about the future, or fretting about a big decision, or wondering how you can fit in with the popular crowd, you’re probably not going to feel very peaceful. Your life may start to spiral because you aren’t centered on the one who matters most.                                            

This is a pretty general example, but you can think about this concept in a lot of other practical ways too. Here are five ways you can harness your thoughts and use them to move forward in your life.

1. Think about the person you want to become.

Instead of dwelling on decisions that cause you stress or on that overwhelming pressure to figure out your calling, think about the person you want to be in a year or two from now. What roles might you want to play? What sorts of things do you hope people will say about you? How do you envision the impact you might have?

Think about that person, not to add to the pressure you feel already, but to provide a role model and example for how you are living your life now.

2. Think about the person you are now.

Don’t just think about the person you are becoming—think about the person you are today, too. What gifts do you offer the people in your life? What contributions are you making to your community? Use the knowledge of what you are doing and who you are already to help propel you forward.

3. Think about one thing you can do each day to serve someone else.

Jesus calls us to love others, and so each day, think of one thing (or more than one!) you can do to care for someone else. This might be a neighbor, a friend, or even a complete stranger. When we make service part of our thoughts and our everyday lives, it will become more natural to our hearts.

4. Think about ten things you are grateful for each day.

One of my favorite practices I started earlier this year is keeping a gratitude journal. Each night, I write down ten specific things I was thankful for in that day. The best part of my gratitude journal isn’t the part where I write the things down. It’s that now, during the day, I find myself constantly noticing moments I will want to write about later. I’m more aware of all the things in my life I am grateful for.

5. Think about what kind words you can use toward yourself and others during your daily life.

Finally, think about kind words. What kind words can you think about yourself during the day? What kind words can you think about others, or even about events that happen throughout daily life? If thoughts really do impact the direction of your life, don’t you want your life to be moving in the direction of kindness?

These five tips aside, for me, it all comes down to this: in what direction do you want your life to move? Figure that out first, friend. Figure out where you’re going. And then, center your thoughts on what will help bring you to the outcome you desire.

And never forget… you are onederfully created in Christ.

Love,
Becca