by Christy Largent
It was 10:29pm, and I needed to turn off the light and go to sleep. Instead, I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, silently berating myself for what I hadn’t done that day, and what I was falling short on…again, as I watched all my “friends” who were doing so much more and being so much more successful than I.
When I finally turned off the phone and laid my head down on the pillow, I was so convicted.
I had to confess my sin of comparison, my lack of gratitude and my disobedience in filling my mind with thoughts and images that drew me further away from my Creator.
I’m not saying Instagram is evil. Please don’t misunderstand…
But what I did was not right.
Meditating on, that is “to focus your thoughts on, to reflect and ponder over” according to Merriam-Webster, is what I was actually doing that night as I flipped through Instagram. And as I mentioned, I wasn’t cheering them on, but instead was comparing myself to them and coming up short.
We have to be soooo careful with what we allow into our mind.
In Proverbs 4 we see a wise Father sharing truths for living.
“My (daughter,) be attentive to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; Keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, And healing to all their flesh.” Proverbs 4:20-22 ESV
These verses convict me.
The Father is encouraging his child to pay attention to the truth.
To hear it —be attentive and incline your ear.
To observe it — let them not escape your sight.
To focus on it and meditate on it —keep them within your heart.
And then to enjoy life and healing from that truth – they are life and healing…
I’m convicted about what I’m focusing on. And what I’m filling my mind with especially before I go to sleep.
The latest science tells us how important sleep is to both our physical and mental health. When we sleep, our body repairs and does a kind of “reboot” as it sorts through everything from the day. This includes a brain adjustment as our thoughts and memories are sorted and catalogued and organized, so that it’s primed and ready to go the next day. (If you’ve ever had a bad night’s sleep, and you notice the next day you’re fuzzy and forgetful, then you’ve experienced what happens when our brain isn’t allowed to refresh correctly.)
This is why it’s even more important to fill our minds with truth before we go to sleep at night. We can set ourselves up for repair and renewal as we sleep by feeding God’s truth into our magnificent computer of a mind, so it can reformat as we sleep.
So tonight, I’ll be putting my phone aside and pulling out my Bible to do a “download” of the good stuff before I close my eyes. I do it to be attentive to His words…that the truth will be life and healing to me…so that I can be life and healing to others.
This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).
About the author: Christy Largent is a mindset and positivity expert who helps women find their own Opportunity Mindset, so that they can live their best for God’s glory. She is a professional speaker and author of the book 31 Positive Communication Skills for Women, and the host of the Podcasts Encouraging Words for Working Moms and Finding Your Opportunity Mindset w/ Christy Largent. Christy lives in Plano, TX with her husband and 2 teenagers. When she’s not playing chauffeur, she’s playing Pickleball. Visit www.christylargent.com to connect.
Join the conversation: How do you get your mind ready for bed?
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