85 year old country music legend (and fellow Texan) had this to say regarding the life of the mind: 

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” ~ Willie Nelson

While Willie may rely on some herbal help with a happy mind, his ideas about the thought life are not off base or uncommon. I just did a quick Google search about books on the power of positive thinking. You can probably guess that there are at least hundreds of titles out there. Some will go as far as to outline steps for altering your reality and even the universe itself using your thoughts alone. 

When a friend recently expressed hesitation over seeing a counselor who would suggest the power of positive thinking over prayer and trusting God for healing, we talked about the fact that redirecting your thoughts is not a new-agey, new-fangled idea at all. Rather, it’s an idea as old as time. And as Ecclesiastes says:

What has been is what will be,
    and what has been done is what will be done,
    and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
    “See, this is new”?
It has been already
    in the ages before us. v. 9-10

Though quite popular these days, the power of positive thinking is nothing new. We fool ourselves if we don’t realize that “it has been already in the ages before us.” God knew we would need help regarding our thoughts, and his Word is full of encouragement on how to direct them. For example:

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 16:20

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ… 2 Corinthians 10:5

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

These verses and many more stress the importance of focusing our thoughts on God, on His Word, on heavenly things, on eternal things, on things that are true, pure, and lovely. And the next verse (though its context is regarding non-believers) describes what happens to those who don’t:

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:21 

I could go on and on, but that was already quite a long introduction for simply getting to my point, which is that this is a struggle for me. I am a realist by nature, and redirecting my thoughts often just feels wrong and simplistic. Lacking in integrity, even. I think at least a few of you can relate.

This Advent season has brought with it both a lot of negative narratives on repeat in my mind as well as beautiful truths to replace them with. I got to practice this a few days ago when I awoke to unrelenting and unnecessary  thoughts. It almost felt like torment. I knew it was it was neither from God, nor honoring to Him. I also knew I needed to actively set my mind on something good. 

It only took a second to remember something Robert and I had read together just a few nights before out of John Piper’s Advent book entitled, The Dawning of Indestructible Joy. It was from the December 12 reading called “The Glory of the Word Made Flesh,” and it was the very last line that struck me:

“One might say, in summary, calling Jesus ‘the Word’ implies that he is ‘God-Expressing-Himself.’ To us.”

Thinking on the truly astounding fact that a holy God put on limiting flesh as a baby at Christmas and as a man at the Cross – not to mention the million times in between in His personal and intimate encounters with men and women – to express Himself to me was all it took to change my course.

Rehearsing the reality that when I read the gospel stories of Jesus, I am simultaneously learning about the Father, was more than enough to redirect my morose mental musings. Absorbing the truth that God expresses Himself to us in the person of Jesus repelled the determination of my mind toward darkness.

We’ve also been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together as a church staff. In last week’s chapter on ministry we remembered that Jesus has gone before us in bearing the burdens of others. In fact, Isaiah 53 is a prophecy about Jesus as the One who has “borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” I’ve read it a hundred times, but pondering it again last week nearly took my breath away.

God came to earth in the flesh not only to bear my sin, but also my griefs and sorrows. Whoa. (Or, Unreal. As Robert and Kayla like to say.) Those griefs and sorrows (which are really small in comparison to others) were what had sent my mind into a tailspin of negativity in the first place.

Capturing my thoughts for Christ was certainly a battle that morning, but one that He provided weapons for immediately.

So, if I were to tweak Willie’s advice (and that of countless other mind over matter preachers), it would go like this:

“Once you replace negative thoughts with thoughts of Jesus, Scripture, the gospel, things true and pure and excellent, you’ll start having the result of a joyful heart and a wise and healthy mind.”

God wants Himself Always on My Mind. 

He knows it’s the only way to true freedom and joy.

Want an Advent-esque place to start focusing your thoughts? Try here.

And I may be getting a little obnoxious in my recommendation to listen to this, but it’s certain to inspire and adjust a self-absorbed and sorrowful attitude.

And now I’m off to bake Christmas cookies while listening to Christmas music, which is another guaranteed joy-giver.