[Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Question those assumptions

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:12-13 

MEDITATION VERSE  

“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached  to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Have you ever wondered why you react to situations the way you do? Anytime  you encounter a particular situation, a chain of events take place inside us. You  first interpret or give meaning to what occurred and develop an attitude about  it. The attitude then affects your feeling and emotions, which in turns affects the  thoughts that build up inside you. Your thoughts affect the actions you take in  response to the event and the actions you take affect the outcome achieved. If  your interpretation of the event was a negative one, the attitudes you develop  about it will be a negative one and this will trickle all the way down to the  outcomes you get. If on the other hand the interpretation or attitude was  positive, it will trickle down to a positive outcome. It therefore follows that the  greatest determinant of your level of joy and fulfillment in life is primarily  determined by the meaning you give to the happenings in your life. 

The story is told about two ladies who were suddenly laid off from an  organization. The first lady said “how can they do this to me after giving 30 years of my life. What am I going to do? I am done for”. The second lady said, “Oh I  have learnt so much in these 30 years, I look forward to deploying all the  knowledge to starting my own business”. Life will always happen, but your  interpretation of what has happened will determine whether you bounce back  and succeed or whether you remain stuck in a mud. 

You can choose the meaning you give to situations. The way you perceive an  event is not the only way. Nothing means anything except the meaning you give  to it, and the meaning you give to it is not the only meaning. Options are always  available and the more in control you are of your thoughts, the more the options  will be. If you have only one option, take a pause, because your emotions may  have overruled you. When you feel overly stressed by a situation, ask yourself, “how is my current interpretation undermining me? What am I assuming that is  not serving me? How else can I view this? 

Learn to question the assumption behind your interpretations, and change your  perspective about yourself, others, and your environment. The glass may be half  empty, but excuse me, that same glass is also half full.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

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