mind – Practical Insights, by Dr. Annette

What type of graveclothes are you wearing?

What are grave clothes? When we are born again, we have a regenerated spirit, but we still have the world on us sometimes. God wants you loosed from the trappings of the graveclothes. He wants us to let go of the things that are binding our hands, feet, hearts, and minds.

In John 11:43-44 “Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ 44And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘loose him, and let him go.’”

Jesus’ friend Lazarus died and was buried. On the fourth day Jesus came and raised him from the dead. He said Lazarus come forth, Lazarus rose and came out of the tomb, but was still wrapped in graveclothes. Grave clothes are cloth stripes used for burial in ancient days.

These strips of cloth were wrapped around the body to where the entire body was bound. I’ve been thinking of the ways we can become bound even though we are regenerated in spirit we can continue to live bound. It is interesting to me that Jesus told the people who moved the stone to unbind Lazarus. Even then people were needed to help and so are they today. Sometimes we think I don’t need help, or no one understands but God does understand, and he uses others to help unbind us.

To me grave clothes are things that keep you stuck or things that are harming your growth. We are spiritual, emotional, physical beings and we can get stuck in many ways. Mindsets can be binding on your health and growth when we let the painful thoughts of the past or current situations keep us from moving forward, it becomes the grave cloth over the mind. Jesus died so we could have freedom from oppressive thoughts, harmful habits, and harmful relationships.

Eternal life isn’t just going to heaven it is life here and now. But we need to let our hands, feet, or mind be unbound. Can you imagine Lazarus fighting the people who were helping him? Unfortunately, at times we do hinder our help. But today is a good day to allow God to use his word to bring you the help you need and reach out to someone for the help you need.

What is keeping you bound today? What is limiting your growth, stopping you from moving forward, or holding you back? Surrender it to God by giving it to him and ask for his help. Then receive the help you need. My prayer is that if you are hurting today, you receive the help you need to move in the right direction.

The Marvelous Mind & Know your thoughts !

Have this mind…

Three Things to Ponder in the Garden Experience?

Recently while reading in John G. Lakes devotional, I had this impression. In the garden Adam surrenders his obedience by choosing to disobey and eat of the fruit of good and evil. On that day he died spiritually, his will choose his own way, not God’s way.

But Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane laid down his will to choose the Fathers will. Three times he prayed to the Father, for the cup to pass and three times He said, “not my will, but your will be done.” In the garden Jesus wins back for us what Adam gave up. On the cross Jesus dies for us, for our sins. He carried the sins in his body as he died for us on a cross, tortured, beaten, bruised, and blooded he walked to His death on the cross.

So, the question for us is what is your garden experience? Three things to ponder what is God asking you to surrender?

First, when we surrender something to God there is an exchange although we may not realize it at first but there is an exchange. So often we get focused on what we want that the surrender becomes more about what we are giving up than what we gain.

But if we do as this scripture shows looking unto Jesus who surrendered it all we too can surrender whatever God is asking us to give over to Him.

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He sits at the right of the Father, and He is coming back for His bride.

Secondly, a garden experience can reveal not everyone with you is for you. The pain of rejection can affect us all differently, but one thing is sure we all experience rejection in one form or another. Who better to understand this than Jesus? It was in the garden He was betrayed by a friend’s kiss. If you are experiencing the sting of rejection, give it to Jesus who understands the sting and pain rejection causes. He heals the brokenhearted.

Thirdly, a garden experience can reveal ourselves. Times of surrender or trails can show us what is inside us and how we think. It is not a time to self-condemn but a time of self-awareness. Which means it can be a time to recognize our weaknesses, faults and allow God to change us. This becomes a time of growth.

We see Jesus’ character come through the garden experience of surrender, betrayal, and false accusations with humility, silence and willingly went to cross.

Let the garden experience of life grow you in your walk with Christ. Choose God’s way and not your own.

Three different Ways to Deal with Shame…

The way out

As we have entered the New Year of 2022 it is time to release the pain of yesterday. Grief, shame, and pain can hold onto us if not processed, healed, and released. Today is the day to process shame. Understanding what shame is and how to heal from it is essential to walking free from it.

What is Shame? “Shame is a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.” The shame I am writing about is also an internal feeling of being flawed, not good enough or worthless. This doesn’t mean it’s true it is just a pervasive feeling of not being good enough, worthless.

As so many know the pain of shame replays in your mind and heart. It recalls every aspect of the hurt or trauma and it will cause the wound to stay because it is within you, hidden in memory and as events happen in our lives shame internalizes it through the original filter of pain. Which then we are triggered in pain and back to the original hurt without realizing why this current event hurts so much.

Things that cause shame is all forms of abuse verbal, emotional or physical etc. Statements made that are unloving or humiliating may cause shame. When an individual hears they are no good, rotten, or worthless that will cause shame. When a person is told regularly negative words against their personhood or their skills etc. it will affect the way they see themselves.

Three different ways to deal with shame that we all need to recognize:

First way to deal with the shame, for some people they feel the pain but they do not want to deal with it. So, they repress it and run internally from it. But it does not mean the pain has gone away. It is just hidden in the body and subconscious. Unfortunately, it will surface but not always at the proper times or ways. Unresolved shame turns into rage.

Second way to deal with the shame, is act like it does not hurt you, your over it and said, “I forgive.” This is like the first, but this is a conscious choice to pretend you are ok. ‘I’m ok’ that did not hurt me. But reality is it did bother you and you are lying to yourself. This comes back because it causes you internally to become hard and calculated, to form bitter judgements and opens us up to sickness physically or mentally.

Third way to deal with the shame is to allow yourself to release the hurt in a safe environment by processing the pain to come out. This opens you up to forgiveness towards the offender. If this shame has held on for years one may need to get free of the attached demonic oppression. This will release as you process forgiveness and renounce any bitterness etc. We do this by speaking the name of Jesus to the oppression. If you’re not able to do this on your own reach out for help. In Christ Jesus there is liberty to live a victorious life.

I pray that as you walk through the shame and pain you will sense God releasing you and healing your heart and mind from the torment of shame.

Why Forgiveness is a key? The Root of Shame

Three things to know about Hope…

What is hope? How does having hope help us? What is your hope in? First what is hope according to the dictionary, “it is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” “A feeling of trust.” Having hope helps us stay in expectancy it gives us a good feeling of a welcomed outcome. Hoping in a good outcome keeps one positive but what happens when your outcome does not happen the way you wanted? What can happen is despondency, despair or depression. But it doesn’t have to when you know where to place your hope it guards you from the D’s of life.

In dealing with the loss of someone’s hope, it is important to look at what kind of hope they placed their trust in. At times we can place our hope in things and people that we have no control over. Life can change in an instant and hope can be dashed within seconds. Unfortunately, we cannot foresee every aspect that life brings. This is when we need a solid ground for our hope to be in. Putting hope into an outcome or a person is not as solid as we can imagine. But placing our hope in God is a solid foundation.

Putting your hope in God means your trusting Him with your outcome in situations and life. As we go through this life, we can be assured that God is faithful to His Word. The word of God tells us in Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. So that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy spirit.” Even though we may experience hardships, trials and sorrow God promises to walk through those with us.

The first thing about hope is ask yourself, ‘what are you placing your hope in?’ Ask yourself is it realistic, is it a doable plan are you prepared to wait. Count the cost! All dreams, plans, or visions for future take effort and time. Therefore, give yourself a realistic plan to hold onto. I choose to place my plans in God’s hands. I want His plan for my life. I have learned through the years He usually places a desire on your heart and as you prayerfully press into it you will know His will and plan.

The second thing to know about hope, ‘there is a waiting period.’ If we have it at once, we do not need hope. But what you do as you wait makes an enormous difference in your life and disposition. I choose to wait on God. I know He is faithful to His Word. He strengthens and gives us the grace to wait. His peace and joy will sustain you also as you wait. I choose to speak His Word aloud to myself at times because it produces faith to sustain a wait. The outcomes we want do not necessarily happen exactly the way we want but as your hope, trust and faith are placed in God He will produce in you a disposition that is maturing as you wait.

The third thing to know about hope is ‘God is our hope.’ Hebrews 6:19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20) where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” This hope is a solid foundation in Jesus Christ sacrifice for our salvation. He bought our forgiveness. We are His Children when we repent and accept Jesus Christ and live in Him.

When hope wanes and the wait is long remind yourself God has you and is with you, because your hope in Him is the anchor of your soul. Your trust is placed in Him and not in yourself.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. So that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy spirit.”

How do you get Clarity Of Vision?

What is clarity of vision? How does one know they are seeing clearly? I had cataract surgery on my right eye one week ago but then the coming week the left eye. As I think about the difference in my right eye to my left, I realize cataracts slowly diminished my vision. It is so gradual that you do not realize it till its significant.

I don’t know why we get cataracts, but I do realize my clarity of sight was diminished. Which makes me think about life! How we will go along living with loss of vision and do not even realize it until something major happens?

I had the opportunity on Sunday evening to preach, I spoke about “It’s a matter of heart.” You can go to Facebooks ‘Central Church of God’ page in Portage Indiana to hear the message dated 10-3-21 While I sit here and type this, I also know that our hearts effect our vison. We can be so sure that something is one way and find out it is not because our heart was not in the right place. So today is the day to do a heart check.

The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? 10) I the LORD search the heart. I test the mind, even to give every man according to the fruit of his doings.” Therefore, we cannot fully know what is in our hearts unless God reveals it.

Our hearts can deceive us to believe our motives are ok, our reasoning is right, and our opinions matter.

Your heart is the center of being, it consists of feeling, thoughts, beliefs, and personality. The Revell Bible Dictionary states, “Here is what a person is really like, in contrast to an external demeanor intended to impress others.” Which means it is where we see and hear through. How we see and hear is a matter of heart.

God wants to restore and revive hearts today. So that you can see and hear with clarity. He wants to heal wounded hearts. He wants to heal what you cannot see but what is affecting how you see.

The word restore in The Bible Dictionary means, “to renew, heal; make alive.” Some are going through the motions but have lost their first love, due to hurts that are unresolved. I believe God wants to show you what is in your heart to bring healing into your life. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “outside wounds are visible, inside wounds are not, they will manifest in many unhealthy ways, but the original wound needs My healing, My peace and restoration.” Today is the day to call on the Lord and receive healing and restoration in your heart. So that you can have clarity of vision.

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give accounts.”

God’s word searches our hearts and separates the thoughts and intents/ motives. We must be willing to let the word of God and the Holy Spirit search our hearts. Through humility we learn our motives, through repentance we receive the change that is need. Today is your day for clarity of vision. Allow God to search your heart and heal what is needed and restore what was lost.

Blessings,

Dr. Annette

Do you need clarity? Blurred Vision…

Three ways to keep your peace…

Peace

Why is keeping your peace so important? What does it mean to keep your peace? What robs you from peace? These are a few questions we can explore and learn from. I began writing this yesterday morning and I have been thinking about how to keep our peace since then.

What is peace? According to the dictionary Peace is, “freedom from disturbance, tranquility 2) a state or period in which there is no war, or a war has ended.”

Looking at peace from ‘freedom from disturbance’ can be said keeping your peace is not allowing the disturbances to get within your mind and heart. Keeping your peace does not suggest that you just be quiet and never speak up. The first way in keeping your peace involves understanding how to live in a state of trusting in God and overcoming personal annoyances.

Trusting God is easier when we are not faced with personal annoyances or outcomes outside our control. Those are the circumstances that can cause us to lose our peace if we are not aware of it. I choose to speak the truth with the Word of God concerning situations. Find a scripture that you know and remind yourself of God’s care and concern for you. Speak it out loud so you can hear it this builds your faith as you go through the disturbances that try to rob your peace.

Tranquility means “the quality or state of being tranquil; calm.” Looking at peace as tranquility clearly is referring to being calm. Being calm under pressure is doable. The second way to keep your peace is submission to the God’s leading, He gives us the grace to handle all types of situations that we are faced with daily. Since we are submitted to Him, we are surrendering our aggravations to His word and ways. This helps us to learn how our reactions can be turned into responses. Once again God addresses issues and speaks up, but His ways are higher than ours He uses the right amount of pressure and directness.

The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom “this word means peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare, and tranquility.” This peace has a deeper depth to the understanding of peace. God’s peace permeates our well being and produces wholeness in spirit, soul and body. Our minds and hearts are connected if we do not have peace of mind, we will not have peace in other areas of our being. Understanding of the word shalom helps us to realize that God is interested in all areas of our lives. The third way to help keep your peace is, understanding that your total well being is important. One aspect of our being can affect other aspects of spirit, soul and body. Remembering this helps one to keep their peace. Sometimes we lose peace because our lives get out of balance. Recognize physically, mentally or emotionally these three areas will affect our lives when they are out of balance. If you’re running on empty, it will finally catch up to you and your peace will be lost. We only get one life and body, so it is important to take care of it.

For example, when my ankles are painful, I do what is necessary to help relieve the pain such as rest, elevate, ice or put a pain cream on them. When I was younger, I would push myself and make it worse but through age wisdom has taught me to notice and deal with the symptoms. I have learned it’s ok to rest, give myself permission to not over do, and then I stay peaceful.

There are many ways we can lose our peace but if we become aware of them, we can rely on God’s grace, and overcome them, and keep our peace.

How do you refocus when life is scrambled?

What is your focus on? Our focus may be on all kinds of things from home to careers and all that is in between. But what is going happen when your focus gets blurred due to unforeseen circumstances? That is when we need to refocus. What does refocus mean? It means “to focus again to change the emphasis or direction of.”

In the natural our view might be clouded caused by eye problems. Such as what I’m experiencing, I can see however not so clear in the left eye. I’m facing a cataract and partial corneal transplant surgery next month. So, I must focus to see.

When things get a bit haywire what do you focus on? When life is scrambled with all kinds of ups and downs how do you keep your focus? I think it depends on what you’re focusing on. Our lives are made up of all kinds of important tasks and people who are involved in them. But to me the most essential focus that helps all the other areas in our lives is God and keeping my focus on Him.

There are many scriptures to help keep your focus clear. When your heart and mind are on the Lord it trains you to keep a clear focus. Keeping your heart and mind clear is most important. When our hearts are right with God and we stay humble and contrite we will keep a clear focus.

How do you focus when life is scrambled? By going back to God letting Him refocus your heart and mind. Laying the cares of the day at His feet and receiving His peace. Getting alone with the Lord is the first step to refocusing. Only God can tell you what is really in your heart. When we come before Him with thanksgiving and praise Him for who He is this will affect your focus.

When we come to the Lord with our cares and concerns without thanksgiving the focus becomes lopsided. But when I turn my eyes on Jesus and thank Him for who He is and for what He has done. Then my focus becomes clearer. A peace settles over me and I can petition my prayers through His focus.

God knows clearer what I need than I know or what others need. Each day has new challenges but everyday our focus can stay clear as we allow God to lead, guide and focus our day.

The Power of Forgiveness

What does forgiveness mean to you? How important is it? What are benefits to forgiveness? These are some of the questions we will answer.

Forgive means: “Stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake; Cancel (a debt)”

Forgiveness means: “the action or process of forgiving or being forgiven.” First with these definitions we see that forgiveness is a process. Pardon deals with the emotion of the offense and the feelings of resentment toward a person who hurt, offended or acted in a manner that we felt hurt by.

How important is forgiveness it is essential to your overall mental health? Unforgiveness plagues the mind and heart. It revolves around a continuous dialogue of thoughts in the mind that wants justice or revenge. But it keeps you locked into the pain, hurt, and negative emotions.

There are no benefits to unforgiveness. Why do we hold on to unforgiveness can only be answered by the person? Everyone gives different reasons, but it is usually the event itself. And the injustice of the hurt and sorrow. But in truth unforgiveness is only hurting us, not the one who hurts us.

Power in forgiveness is a key to unlocking a hurt. Forgiveness does not abolish the offense. It does help you to walk free of the pain and sorrow of the offense. Forgiveness places you in a place of restored peace. When we are unforgiving, we do not have true peace. We may have repressed the hurt, but it always comes back up.

Pain must be expressed, processed, and relieved or it is locked in the recesses of our mind and heart. Therefore, forgiveness is a process. Our minds must give the pain a voice through expressions and the emotions of the hurt is processed and then the words of ‘I forgive you for…’ will flow freely. Then the healing of God can fill the area the pain and sorrow lived, and you can be restored and filled with peace and joy.

Jesus bought forgiveness for us with God, but it also opened the door of empowerment of forgiveness for us to others. The word of God tells us to forgive as we have been forgiven. There have been things in my life that have happened to me without God’s help and healing I would not be the person I am today.

I have seen many different individuals and couples walk through the process of forgiveness and receive the healing it provides. The power of forgiveness lives within each individual choice. Once you choose to forgive ‘someone’ the process starts and then you can be healed of the pain, hurt and sorrow of the offense through forgiveness.

What are Strongholds and Roots?

What is a stronghold? Where are they erected? How do we pull them down? What is the difference between strongholds and roots?

The Holy Spirit spoke to me years ago “When there are bad roots in our lives such as rejection, shame, fears, etc. you have to first pull-down the stronghold protecting the root or roots, to be able to uproot the bad root’s so you then may be able to live in freedom.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 AMP “For though we walk (live) in the flesh we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. 4) For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh & blood] but they are mighty before God, for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds. 5) [In as much as we]refute arguments, theories, and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true]knowledge of God, and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ(the Messiah, the Anointed One.)”

What is a stronghold? I thought years ago the stronghold was the action, habits or behaviors that you can’t control but no that is just fruit. The stronghold is the thoughts, arguments, theories and reasonings we use to uphold and defend our actions, habits and behaviors. So, the real strongholds remain the beliefs, thoughts and views that validate our actions, habits and behaviors.

Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon “a stronghold is what one uses to fortify and defend a personal belief, idea or opinion against outside opposition. A Stronghold is the fortification around and defense of what you believe especially when you are wrong.”

I used to think a stronghold was a habit, action or addiction that you cannot stop on your own. But we must understand the action is just the fruit of the stronghold.

The stronghold is the thoughts, arguments, theories and reasonings we use to uphold and validate our actions, habits, behaviors.

Strong’s Greek Dictionary Stronghold: “To Fortify, through the idea of holding safely; a castle (fig: argument: stronghold)”

Webster’s Dictionary stronghold “1) a fortress 2) an area dominated or occupied by a special group”

Since we now know exactly what a stronghold is, we need to answer where are they, the answer is they’re in the mind and heart.

The mind is like a rudder to a ship it steers the body. We usually feel or think before we do. I’ve heard it said an addict relapses in their mind before they relapse physically. This statement lets you know how important your thoughts are.

Strongholds protect roots (the arguments, theories and opinions) that validate the behaviors or actions need to be removed so that the original ‘root problem’ can be dealt with. You can choose to change how you think but if the original (root problem) hurt, pain, or trauma is repressed then it will surface in all kinds of unhealthy behaviors, actions and attitudes etc.

Root “3) a support: base 4) an essential part or element: core A primary source or origin.” Roots “To become firmly settled or entrenched…”

God’s Word states in Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have this day appointed you to the oversight of the nations and the kingdoms to root out and pull down; to destroy and over throw; to build and to plant.”

By the power of the Holy Spirit we are going to begin to pull down strongholds (the beliefs, theories, opinions and arguments that are contrary to God’s way & word) so that we can up-root bad and unhealthy roots (root problems) in our lives and then plant healthy seeds which will make healthy roots. The word of God is the seeds of truth we are going to sow and plant in our minds, hearts and lives.

Take a moment and look at your life where are you concerning acceptance? Do you feel accepted or are you struggling with feelings and thoughts of worthlessness? Do you speak well about yourself? If your answer is no, then it’s time to let the Holy Spirit show you what reasonings, theories, and opinions (strongholds) that are validating your behaviors, actions, habit’s or addictions to medicate yourself to feel accepted. Or the words you are repeating in your head to continue to feel worthless. When we feel or think we are worthless it comes from a hurt, pain, trauma that must be healed.

Unhealthy roots (root problems) develop when we repress hurts, traumas or pain from our past. They can form into unhealthy ways of coping. All pain needs to be voiced when we deny hurt a voice, we push it down, but nothing stays down it always comes to the surface in ways that we least expect. These are the roots (root problem) that need to be healed.

My prayer for you: Dear Heavenly Father through your Holy Spirit uncover the strongholds (thoughts, theories and opinions) that are defending & validating the behaviors, attitudes or actions and I pray you heal each person reading this to feel accepted. Lord remove any blinders to the truth of who you are and bring clarity and healing to the pain and hurt that is causing unacceptance in Jesus name. Amen Who is the keeper of your mind? The Marvelous Mind & Know your thoughts!

Who is the keeper of your mind?

Let’s look at the mind. What exactly is the mind? Where is the mind situated? Is it in your brain or part of your heart and soul? What makes the mind function? These are some of the questions we will answer.

The brain is intriguing in its functions that are complex and detailed. But what makes the mind function? In her book ‘Who Switched off my Brain’ Dr. Caroline Leaf states, “the five senses are your contact between the external world around you and your internal world, activating the mind.”

According to Dr. Gary Collins in his book, ‘The Magnificent Mind’ “The mind does not exist in a tangible form. Instead, the mind is a word that we use to refer to human thinking, knowing and feeling.” So, the mind does not have a form but consists of a mixture of functions.

The soul comprises of the mind, will and emotions therefore, thoughts, emotions together with our choice is all connected with the mind. Your will is your choice. Your feelings are directly connected to your senses and thoughts.

You have been designed with the ability to select your thoughts; you have the capacity to accept or reject a thought. That sentence is a powerful tool to grab a hold of. Because we can stop worry, stress, or anxiety thoughts on the inception of formation.

At the beginning of a toxic negative thought, you have the power to refuse it and when you do substitute it with a healthy, positive thought that stimulates good emotions of peace and calm.

When our minds our given negative thinking or the what ifs or the how comes etc. it causes even greater stress, anxiety and fear. But your mind is simply that, it’s yours you remain the keeper of the door you permit through the senses what you experience daily.

When something cruel, bad or painful happens it is not possible for us to always stop it from happening, but we can select how we let it influence us for the rest of our life.

The bible tells us we can tear down thoughts and imaginations. 2 Corinthians 10:5 Amp “[In as much as we] refute arguments, theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One.)”

Contrary ideas that are not the character of Christ, we negate anything that is negative, hurtful, fearful, worrisome or aggravating they’re not thoughts that produce life, health and peace.

You alone are the guardian of your thoughts, if your being influenced then you will have to refute the lies. I look on it this way tell the truth to yourself if it doesn’t fall into line with God’s word then let it go, refuse the ideas and then replace them with the word of God.

The bible tells us in Philippians 4:8 NKJV “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever thigs are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.” This means to choose to think about these things, for it produces peace. For example, today I got a shot in my right ankle I chose to consider good thoughts and think about Jesus’ which helps me at the same time get a painful shot. I refuse to be thinking about how much it hurts or complain that will make it worse. That doesn’t imply it doesn’t hurt but shifting my thoughts to this shot would keep me walking provides me with help.

You are the guardian of your mind.