Which one are you?

I am currently reading through a book called "The Me I Want to Be" by John Ortberg - a very good book so far! The book is all about becoming the best version of "me" that I can be by allowing God to transform my life. Today as I was reading it I was struck by a very simple idea, but one that is not so easy to actually employ.

Ortberg was discussing how it is important to "think great thoughts" instead of the negative ones that often plague our minds. I'm extremely guilty of this and have struggled for a long time with being transformed by the renewing of my mind. He talks about the usefulness of being able to set our minds on whatever we choose - instead of thinking negative thoughts, why not focus on positive things? While this is much easier said than done, I wanted to share this passage of the book with you - both for his insightful wisdom and also his humor in making his point.

"At any moment - including this one - we can turn our thoughts in one direction or another. It is within our capacity to set our minds; that explains why two people can be in the same set of circumstances and yet have completely different experiences. A friend sent me passages from a dog's diary and a cat's diary as a means to show me the difference a mindset can make..."

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary:

8:00am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Diary:

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me

with bizarre, little dangling objects.

The only thing that keeps me going

is my dream of escape.

-Which one are you? I would prefer to think like the dog, but sadly I think I more often resemble the cat (which is so sad b/c I don't like cats - except Cheddar, my sister's cat!) I have been very blessed to have a husband that excels in this area - I have never met someone who is so positive all of the time! He constantly encourages me to take control of my attitude and make life more enjoyable - thanks sweetie! Hopefully one of these days I'll be the "dog" that you are. :) "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:2)