Set Your Mind

I am a fan of the Winnie the Pooh stories.  
You have Eeyore - Ever the pessimist.  Then, there’s Tigger - Always bouncing around on his tail, perhaps having his head in the clouds a little too much.  There are other characters, but those two seem to be the extremes.  I see Winnie the Pooh right in the middle of Eeyore and Tigger.

Pooh seems to be a realist.  
He seems to just go with the flow,  And, no matter what happens, he is always able to find his “happy place”.  Yes, there are times when things don’t go too well for him, and you can see his shoulders droop, letting out a sigh and calmly saying,  “Oh bother”.  Yet, even when he is stuck in the hole of a tree, he is in his “happy place”, because he has nothing to do but enjoy the abundant honey that he was initially looking for when he got stuck.

Here are some of Winnie the Pooh sayings:  “I wasn't going to eat it, I was just going to taste it.”  “I am short, fat, and proud of that.”  “You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”  “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”  

Do you feel as though you’ve been “evicted” from your happy place? 

Do you tend to be like Eeyore?  Always focused on the negative, pondering the worst case scenario?  Or, are you like Tigger, perhaps denying there’s anything wrong, always putting on a happy face.  Or, are you like Pooh, able to take it a day at a time and staying focused on the good that comes with the bad?

I have found myself often being a bit like Eeyore – I can easily allow my thoughts to drag me down, convincing me things are not going to get any better, making a mountain out of a mole hill.  However, lately, a journal I use has me writing down three things that I am grateful for – guess what?  There’s always three things I can be grateful about.  It’s been a great discipline.  It helps me focus on the things above, more than the things of earth.  It’s helped me develop a spirit of gratitude in the midst of some rather difficult situations.  

Give it a try.  
Then, as you come up with three things you are grateful for, pause to give thanks to God.