Today's guest blogger is Anne Dryburgh. Anne is a missionary in Flemish speaking Belgium since 1991 doing evangelism and biblical counseling. Her ministry is unique and I know she would appreciate prayer as she ministers to those around her.
Meeting with a counselee:
Sue talked to me about being tired, down, and
discouraged. She was too tired to work on her thoughts, seeing it as too much
work. To relax, Sue watched TV shows and talked to friends. We talked for a while about the importance of
working on how you think. Sue then agreed to start to think according to
Scripture.
On the second day she already noticed a difference. And it was on
this second day that she made an important discovery: she always thinks. Now
she could choose what kinds of thoughts she had. By not working on her
thoughts, she was thinking depressing, angry, resentful, and frustrated
thoughts. Unsurprisingly, Sue was becoming what she was thinking: depressed,
angry, resentful, and frustrated. By thinking biblical thoughts, she
experienced a release of a burden.
She now experienced a freedom of mind, joy,
and a desire for life. It did involve work to think in this way and it was much
easier to just let her thoughts flow and stew in her negativity. But now Sue
understood that by putting in the extra effort, out of obedience to the Lord,
while trusting him, is a better way of living.