A Prayer to Refocus Your Ideas – Your Every day Prayer

A Prayer to Refocus Your Ideas
By Jessica Van Roekel

“Lastly, brothers, no matter is true, no matter is honorable, no matter is simply, no matter is pure, no matter is beautiful, no matter is commendable, if there may be any excellence, if there may be something worthy of reward, take into consideration these items.” –  Philippians 4:8

Have you ever ever walked right into a room and felt you didn’t belong? I entered a gathering the opposite day, and I felt no one wished me there. Frowns and furrowed brows graced their faces. It spiraled me right into a collection of unfavorable ideas. I believed I wasn’t adequate, likable, or worthy of acknowledgment. I struggled to convey my consideration to the aim of the assembly as a result of I felt rejected. Perceived rejection is assuming rejection earlier than it has occurred. I’m a genius at pre-rejecting myself on another person’s behalf. I interpret the squint of the eyes as disapproval and the purse of the lips as annoyance towards me. I assume I’m already rejected to guard myself, however this conduct leads me right into a cycle of being rejected and rejecting different individuals. I grew to become conscious of this tendency when the Lord revealed how the worry of rejection prevented me from strolling within the methods he had for me.

God longs for us to develop in kindness and mercy. He needs us to know who we’re in Christ, which is chosen, accepted, desired, and discipled. But, once we get caught in patterns of pre-rejection, we wrestle with these. We assume the worst about ourselves and others. Our focus drills inward till we see ourselves by means of a rejected lens. This rejected lens prevents us from seeing another person’s struggles and worries. It interferes with compassion towards others. It takes us down a path of assumptions, resulting in misunderstandings and damaged relationships.

Whereas many people have exterior struggles with residence, household, work, and funds, we additionally cope with inside battles. Our thoughts is without doubt one of the biggest locations of battle, the place exterior battles are received or misplaced. Pre-rejection steals our peace and promotes anxious ideas, influencing our actions and attitudes. It’s wonderful how I feed rejection after I assume I’ve been rejected. After I begin from a spot of assuming rejection, it impacts potential new relationships. If I’m closed off and self-protecting, it makes me appear chilly and unfriendly. This isn’t who I’m, however after I’m dominated by worry, it’s what I show. I’ve discovered the key to overcoming this tendency lies in my ideas.

Romans 12:2 tells us to “be remodeled by the renewal” of our minds, and pre-rejecting ourselves on behalf of another person assumes the worst doable consequence. The Apostle Paul inspired the Philippians to protect their hearts. Guarding our hearts promotes peace inside ourselves and {our relationships}, however we should work at it. Our minds naturally run alongside unfavorable tracks, however we are able to retrain our ideas. Think about what would occur if we targeting no matter is nice, and once we stroll right into a room, we take into consideration what’s honorable. Rejecting your self since you’re afraid somebody may reject you doesn’t honor you or the opposite particular person.

One of many methods to beat this tendency is to search for the great in others. I noticed after I assume somebody has rejected me, I’m projecting my worry of rejection onto them. They is likely to be frowning in my path, not due to me, however due to one thing of their life. As an alternative of responding with compassion and outward focus, we react with self-protection and self-focus. I nonetheless stroll into conferences with the “Will they like me?” sport enjoying in my head. However I’m studying to refocus my ideas on myself and asking the Lord, “How can I present them you?” It begins in our minds after which interprets into actions.

Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father,
Thanks that you just give us all of the instruments we have to reside this life for you. Forgive us once we overlook to make use of them and let our ideas scatter to unhealthy and life-stealing pathways. We wish to concentrate on you. You might be honorable, pretty, true, commendable, simply, and wonderful, and once we take into consideration you in these phrases, you assist us take into consideration others in them too. Assist us refocus our ideas immediately. In Jesus’ identify, Amen

Photograph Credit score: ©Getty Photos/Ryan McVay