Perspective is Everything

One of my biggest struggles is with me. I never realized the impact my thoughts have on me until I read chapter 2 of Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst. 2 Corinthians 10:5 gives much hope to those of us who struggle with "destructive" rather than "constructive" thought patterns. "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Knowing Christ gives us the power to "take captive" destructive thoughts and "demolish" them is a life-changing truth. How many of us spend day after day demolishing ourselves...beating ourselves up over wrong choices or regrets? I love Lysa's quote, "I can wallow in what's wrong and make things worse, or I can ask God for a better perspective to help me see good even when I don't feel good." I had no clue how soon I would need to put this encouragement to work in my life. Yesterday was one of those "destructive thought days"...self-esteem struggles...regrets...stress...(2 batches of burned cookies)...you get the picture. I found myself thinking things like. "You can't do ANYTHING right!, You can't get it together!" "What is wrong with you? At one time you managed bank accounts for a living and now you can't take care of a 3 year old?"...After crying over my burned cookies and batch of raw cookie dough (which by the way couldn't even be completed for lack of 1 egg), I remembered what I just read moments before. I stood in my little kitchen, and called out to a God who could change my destructive thoughts to constructive. I wish I could say, lightning flashed and a gorgeous batch of cookies Betty Crocker would drool over appeared, but that wasn't the case. I had to swallow my pride, phone a friend and ask her to pick up store bought cookies, and be still for a while. Through the day, God sent many unexpected calls, messages, and one sweet friend to deliver a King Size pack of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. God ministered to me, changing my thought patterns right where I was and blessed me beyond words. I never want to forget this day or the lessons I learned through my burned cookies. Yes, proof..."perspective is the key to not coming unglued".