As we enter another year, it’s definitely been a time to take stock of what’s been working well, and what’s been just a nuisance or hinderance.

For me, engaging negative thoughts is right there at the top of the list. Negative thoughts ooze along the transom of our day to day life, and we can choose to let them float on by, or engage or even wallow endlessly in them. I wish I could say that I have been blissfully tossing my hair back and looking the other way until the offending items leave the area, but this would be a complete falsehood.

Truth be told, my flesh loves a groady munge. This is what I call immersing myself in negativity that spans past, present and future items, and serves no real purpose except to distract me from keeping first things first (God, My recovery, Others…). It also effectively shuts down my creativity, and causes fear and anxious thoughts to run without check though my preserve of peace and serenity, which has now become more like a bunch of squirrels at a rave.

As God has brought this to the fore, I must address it. First, in that it has an appeal, an almost addictive quality for me. So, that means I must abstain at all costs, or risk going down a rat hole and experiencing even more pain and separation.  Second, that it distracts me from my primary purpose. This means that it is straight from the enemy and I must run to God with my struggle here, because on my own I cannot stand up against it. I know I am powerless in and of my own to resist, but that God will deliver me. I can trust in His promises and rest in the fact that He has been faithful in the past and will continue to be so.

Third, it disrupts my relationships. If I am centered on negative thinking and grasping hold of the worst that could happen at every juncture, I am polluting the environment that surrounds me, kind of like the character PIG-PEN in the Peanuts strip, who walks around with his cloud of dust and dirt surrounding his every moment. Is this the legacy I want for my time here? Is this what God wants for my life?

So, as I step into this New Year, I wish to continue working on be cognizant of the negativity and my choice to engage or avoid. Because it is my choice, after all. Am I willing? This I place at the cross, help me Lord to find the willingness to continue to submit this daily, hourly if necessary. I wish to be of service to others, to you and then ultimately find the joy of fulfillment in that purpose. ❤

Much love to you all.