Driving out of the country part of Scotland, we can once again take in all the beautiful land. So many trees, bushes and green pastures. It’s all quite breathtaking. I wish I could stay there. We point to the colorful bushes and say–“Look at the many berries on the bushes!” Our guide says, “Oh no you don’t want those–they are poisonous!”
They certainly don’t look poisonous. They look very good. I love berries! I can eat a whole plate of them easily. But no matter how good some things may be, some of it can actually be very harmful for you. There are good things that can be negative –we just need to watch for that.
Just like the Word declares:
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
1 Corinthians 6:12
So many things are good–relationships, food, sports, social media, work…but what about when they have a power over you? What about when they bring you down? Or when the good things take the place of God? Then the good thing becomes negative. Those things are also so hard to let go–because they are GOOD! But the negative effect that is occurring because we continue to keep certain things in our lives is not so good for us any more.
How do we identify those things? Here’s a few to help….
Relationships— as T.D. Jakes says, “Value is determined by sacrifice.” So is this relationship a benefit if there is no sacrifice? Is the person willing to go the mile that you are going for them? Are they willing to lay down some things to accommodate you –just the same as you would do for them? Are they willing to change behavior patterns–repeated wrongs? Does that change?
Well there is your answer.
Food— Is this food healthy for you? Are you consuming too much of a good thing? Have you done research to certain types of food that you love that are good? How is your caffeine intake? Your vegetable and protein intake? What if you are loading up on fruits all day? Did you know how much sugar they actually contain? Have you gotten a recent physical?
There is your answer.
Sports— Oh how we love our sports don’t we. However, are we damaging relationships that are good to have because we are competitive? Are we becoming too exhausted by them? Are we getting injured by them? Are we taking too much time to contribute to them while neglecting other tasks that are just as important?
There is your answer.
Social Media— this is actually great! We get to keep in contact with family and friends from afar. We get to stay in touch with pictures, videos and more. But are you becoming affected by postings? Are the tags and yearly pop up reminders disturbing your soul? Are you becoming sad, angry or frustrated by them? Do you feel excluded? Disliked? Unloved? Is this taking too much of your time by them?
There is your answer.
Work–we all need to make a living. Is your job stressing you out on a daily basis? Are you losing sleep because of it? Are you spending too much time at the work place and finding that you no longer have adequate time to do life?
Well–there are some answers. It is not that these things are bad for us. They are good. But when the negative begins to outweigh the good–the only thing that you can change at that point is YOU. You can change what you do, how you connect, where you work, the healthy relationships that you can invest in, the food that you can enjoy and the time that you can take for exercise and sports!
Everything has its balance. You just need to learn what is best for you. The key to having a healthy life, is all based on the choices that you make in your daily routine. The things that don’t benefit you and begin to pull you down then take those away. Reduce it. Doesn’t mean you have to eliminate the use of good things. Just keep things to a minimum so that you have the best of God’s best for you!
You can start today…. Make the things around you positive, by changing the things that can and must.
With Love,
Christina
