MADAME BLUEBERRY
As a mom and a kids minister, I end up learning or re-learning a lot of life's simple lessons via the tv shows my kids watch. I currently have them hooked on VeggieTales and one of the favorites is Madame Blueberry.
For those of you that aren't familiar with this story, the sad blueberry is always whining because she is jealous of her friends possessions and the things she has are not good enough. She ends up learning the valuable lesson that a "thankful heart is a happy heart".
Recently when watching this I remember becoming very convicted. While I don't quite do the same thing that Madame Blueberry does, I have found myself complaining quite a bit. I validate my whining and complaining by saying "I'm just stating the facts, or I'm just being honest and letting you know where I'm at." The problem isn't that I am ungrateful, because I really am (I know I am incredibly blessed), but rather the fact that I do not focus on being grateful. You don't hear me expressing my thanks but rather "addressing the situations I feel need attention". This comes across to everyone else as super negative.
I didn't realize until that moment, watching a kid's show, that I was actually a grumpy berry. I always had something negative to say or had to point out something that needed to be fixed. I realized I needed to refocus my attention to being thankful.
I asked God to show me how to change my reality and stop my stinkin' thinkin'. God showed me that I have to create the reality I want in MY mind first. I had always wondered what the verse Romans 12:2 meant when it said "...be renewed by the transforming of your mind.." I always thought it was a one time thing that magically happened when you asked for it. I am now discovering that the way to renew your mind/thinking is through creating a habit.
Creating a new habit happens in our every day decisions and actions. It is a daily choice to do or not do something. After a certain period of time you end up doing the action naturally because you have trained yourself to do so. Renewing your mind means you get better at recognizing those thoughts and you get quicker at turning them over to God in exchange for His thoughts. I have set out on a journey to choose joy and thankfulness. Now, when I wake up in the morning, I say a prayer of thanks for everything I can think of. I actually say it out loud because science has proven this to be more effective. I try to make the choice to tell those in my family and those I spend time with how much I love and appreciate them. When I find myself complaining too much I stop and apologize first, then I tell God 5 positive things about that situation or person I was just complaining about. At first this was really hard but I am getting better about seeing things from a different and more positive perspective.
If you find yourself sad, mad, disappointed, etc. about everything in your life, maybe you should take a lesson from the very blue berry and trade your "truth and perspective" for a new, more joyful truth. Habits take time but when you start to see results and actually believe what you have been practicing, you stop stinkin' thinkin' and start to live a life full of joy and thanksgiving. I promise, you will enjoy your life so much more and others will enjoy you so much more. Remember that renewing your mind does not mean that you never have those thoughts again and never struggle.
