Are there times you would love to be outside your head? I know I do!

Imagine the sweet relief of quiet and rest there. Freedom from the noise of;

• comparing and measuring yourself up against other people in your life
• second-guessing decisions and wondering “What if?”
• fretting about what others think of or say about you
• questioning if you are doing enough, being enough
• berating yourself for failures past and present

Do you often feel like you have taken two steps forward and three back? Oh, for a vacation from it all!

But for now, as finite, mortal beings, we are stuck inside these melons, so what do we do to find rest and release from the noise?

Some people distract themselves by;

• binge-watching their favourite shows
• playing video games
• staying busy by saying yes to everything they are asked to do or join
• scrolling through the endless input on their phone screens
•  

Painting the walls of our mind with these pictures, words and ideas from the world, may feel like a cup of water splashed on our faces in a marathon, but they will not give us the rest we long for. We are just replacing one noise for another. That paint is toxic and only causes more twisted guts, buzzing minds and weighed-down hopeless hearts.

My husband and I used to watch a British television show called Fawlty Towers. One episode has Basil Fawlty hiring an Irish builder against his wife’s wishes. O’Reilly’s men make a mess of the job and when Basil calls Mr. O’Reilly in to fix it, O’Reilly says he’ll make it right and with a “lick ‘o paint, lick o’ paint”, they won’t know the difference.

A fresh coat of paint needs to be applied. The non-toxic truth found in God’s Word. Applying the Lord’s words of love, hope and guidance for living God honouring lives, coats our minds with soothing peace. We are reminded that we don’t have to do life alone, we don’t need to have all the answers and we don’t have to be perfect. Jesus painted us with a different coat of paint on the cross; blood red, which miraculously whitewashed our souls to look like fresh fallen snow.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 ESV

Whenever that paint gets chipped and the old, rotten thoughts and lies pop out, it’s time for a touch-up, a recoating of the truth. Prayer, praise music, Bible reading, devotionals or sound Christian writing, supply that paint.

Another way to repaint our thoughts is by focusing less on ourselves and more on Christ and the needs of others. Jesus lived out the perfect example of this during his time on earth. He called us to follow in his steps, and as we do it takes our minds off our troubles and worries, often finding there is much to be grateful for in our lives, despite the challenges.

Sisters, let’s not try to distract ourselves with shoddy paint jobs. Instead let’s take up our paintbrushes, soak them in the truth of God and the example of Jesus Christ, liberally splash it over our minds, then sit back and rest in the colours of joy and love we receive there.

Be well!

Patricia