Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8

REFLECTION

Well, there’s the answer. This is the list of what to think about, of what to fill our minds with.

There is no conflict between this list and those found in any number of self-help books today.

Perhaps more ephemeral leanings here, but the thrust is the same: to recover from a hopeless state of mind and body, our thinking must change.

In recovery, we are reminded over and over that our problem centers in our mind. The tentacles of addiction reach out from there and pull everything into that black hole.

No thought can escape being twisted when left to our own devices.

But how often do we focus our attention? Think about it. Isn’t it so easy to simply drift away with our thoughts into the day ahead of us?

Do we even try to tune our mind to God?

This is the counter-cultural part. We must release the hold we have on the selfish desires that the world would have us justify. We must turn toward our Creator and begin to knead his word into our hearts.

This is scary business. And it’s certainly not easy at first. Like our old way of life, this will take time to develop and practice. We didn’t get to the end of ourselves overnight and we won’t recover overnight either.

But the blatant truths in passages like this serve as lighthouses to guide us through the night. Until we see for ourselves the light of hope in the days ahead.

God, direct my thinking and keep me out of my own head.