Beware Of The Shower!
It was a lazy Saturday morning, and my husband and I slept in and were puttering around the house, as we had no set schedule for the day. After a few hours I decided to take a shower and dress, because I’m a fan of smelling good and being fully clothed is always a good idea.
I went through my normal routines, but as I finished up and was putting on socks I realized something. I was mad! While I’d been mindlessly going through the usual habits of showering and dressing, I started thinking about an incident that occurred a few years ago. I don’t know what led me down that path, but I was re-living it and rehearsing the details. It wasn’t fair, it shouldn’t have happened, I should have said this, etc. etc.
And now a half hour later, I was fuming about it all while putting on my socks. My husband walked in and I told him I was upset and thinking about that incident, and he said why?
Good Question.
Why was I dwelling on something that had happened in the past and letting myself get riled up about it? And what could I do to change the course of my thinking?
From past experience, I know that allowing this train of thought to continue will pretty much ruin my day. And my husband’s. My unhappiness about this incident will grow and spread to other areas. I will find myself mad at more than just the people associated with that event. Left unchecked, these thoughts will pull me into a pit of anger and self-pity. And just because I decided to take a shower!
Advice From God’s Word
These kinds of thoughts are not from God nor are they pleasing to Him. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to take our wayward thoughts captive. Anything that goes against the knowledge and truths of God must be halted and made obedient to Jesus. James 1:20 says that man’s anger doesn’t produce the righteousness of God (and therefore these thoughts shouldn’t be encouraged). Matthew 6:33 exhorts us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness, not my kingdom or offenses against me.
If my true desire is to grow in holiness and please Jesus, I will not allow these thoughts to continue. I will cry out for help and determine to stop this line of thinking. I will not dwell on how I was offended or nurse grudges against those who harmed me. I will seek His righteousness, His perspective, and His thoughts.
So What?
So I stopped thinking about that event and asked the Lord to forgive me. I started dwelling on things to be thankful for. We had a day to be together, to run some errands and enjoy nice weather. I love being with my husband, he is one of God’s best gifts to me. We are currently in good health, and our kids are doing well.
There are so many things to be thankful for when I turn my mind to them and look for the good gifts the Lord has given. We must train our minds to do this!
I need to beware the shower or any other mindless activity that allows my mind to wander unchecked. I’ve had a similar thing happen while driving to work. I’ve done it a million times so it takes no brain effort, and I can find myself thinking on negative things.
And remember, showers aren’t always bad. Water is life! Hosea uses the metaphor of showers to describe the blessing and refreshment God’s people would find in His Son.
“Let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea 6:3
This is a promise of blessings as we grow in our knowledge of Christ – through whom all our longings are and will be filled. Let’s ask Him to help us be aware, on guard and ready to stop those wayward thoughts when they start.
