The Thoughts You Plant Become the Life You Live

REFLECTION

Every day, we are planting something in our minds.

The thoughts we repeatedly feed ourselves shape how we feel, and those feelings—when left unchallenged—begin to influence how we act.

That means I have to pay attention to the stories I tell myself:

Who do I believe I am?What do I believe about other people?What do I believe about God?What do I believe about my circumstances and my place in life?

An honest look at those thoughts matters.

Sometimes what I’m planting has been filtered through fear, shame, unhealthy desires, negative thinking, or my own biases. And then I wonder why the fruit of my life doesn’t look like what I hoped for.

I cannot continually plant unhealthy seeds and expect a healthy life.

Changing my life requires becoming intentional about what I allow to take root in me. I have to challenge the thoughts that are pulling me away from the man I want to become and deliberately feed the ones that move me toward him.

For me, that means remembering what I’m aiming at, having honest conversations with God, and continuing to work on myself—mentally, emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Pay attention to what you are planting in your mind today.

Ask yourself:

What thought have I been repeatedly feeding that may be shaping my life in a way I don’t want?

Then ask:

What would I need to believe—and practice—instead?