Re-center Your Thinking on Jesus
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved water—oceans, rivers, creeks, lakes, waterfalls, rain, pools, etc. Something about the sound of water and the feel of it relaxes and soothes me—so much so that I even play the audio of a rainstorm or the ocean in the background sometimes while I’m working. It’s calming and it opens my mind and my thoughts to flow freely. For this reason, I wash dishes by hand at home instead of using a dishwasher…the feel and the sound of the water quiets my soul. That may sound silly, but it is true.
And in line with that…this may be a little too much information for you…but I do my best thinking in the shower. The sound of the water and the feel of its warmth…my thoughts just unwind, slowly unraveling, revealing a host of uninhibited truth. For example, today in the shower, while my thoughts were untangling themselves, I realized my focus had been off…for several days. I recognized that I had been immersed in my own thinking about different situations, issues, decisions, and what feels like a host of other things just swirling about and cluttering my mind.
Full disclosure…another unintended side effect of water for me: it compels me to sing worship songs. So yes, I sing worship songs while I wash dishes; yes, I sing worship songs in the shower, etc. And today, as the revelation of my own lack of focus came to the forefront of my mind, worship started flowing from my mouth. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face…” and “Come Holy Spirit, I need You; come sweet Spirit, I pray…” God used that time in worship to re-center me and to re-center my thinking, once again, on Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews says: “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.” Hebrews 3:1 The immense amount of relief that flooded me as I fixed my thoughts on Jesus…while I sang in the shower…unburdened my soul and the weight that had, unbeknownst to me, gradually crept in upon my heart and mind lifted.
I felt, too, a reset happen in my soul. Proverbs gives this encouragement: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” Proverbs 4:25,26 As my gaze fixed on Jesus—directly before me now—clarity kicked in so that I am able to give careful thought to my path, which is honestly what I had been needing for days.
The part I’m still working on right now is this—an echo of David’s prayer: “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86:11 As my focus is restored, and as I move forward, I want to do things God’s way—not with a divided heart or divided thinking or looking behind me or to the left or the right but with a heart that relies on HIS faithfulness and with the intended result that my awe and reverence for Him will grow.
Today, if any of my ramblings strike a chord within you, join me: Let’s ask God to re-center our thinking on Jesus; let’s ask Him to help us look straight ahead with clarity and focus; and let’s ask Him to teach us His ways so that we may rely on Him and have an undivided and reverent heart in all matters.
Katie Botello
FBC Aztec Member