Wenching out of the gumbo mud… A Mindset Shift
It is so easy to get bogged down in the mud surrounding us. If you live in a place like I do, the mud is exceptionally thick, sticky, and smells of fish and decaying earth. In Louisiana, we call it “gumbo mud” and it’s not something you want tracked into your life or home. It can get you stuck in a minute, requiring help to pull you out. It can cause frustration and anxiety trying to clean up its mess and it’s better to avoid it all together.
Like being stuck in gumbo mud, we can get stuck or caked in the grossness of our circumstances around us in the moment. It takes a strong determination to not let ourselves get stuck with the thoughts of fear, anxiety, stress, worry or overwhelm of our situation at hand. Marital problems, financial disasters, health issues, or an outright collapse of them all. can easily bog us down if we left them. Avoiding it is best, and the way to do that is by changing our minds, focusing on the good and the things that we have to be grateful for. Sometimes it’s a real stretch to find something bright to focus on, but we must.
Today, I’m thinking about my son and how far he has come with his college work in the last few weeks. He’s in an internship that has him focused on his future career plans and that has been a long time coming. For that I am so very grateful. What are you thinking about?
In Philippians 4:8 we read, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.“ This is the place to start. Focusing our minds on brighter, happier thoughts.
John Milton wrote in Paradise Lost, “Long is the way and hard, that out of hell leads up to light.” We may be in the terrible, awful right now, but we have to hold on to the hope of better days coming. We must not give up the fight towards the light. Gratitude in the moment can bring calmness and joy, even in the midst of our despair. It is an intentional choice of consciously looking for reasons to be appreciative… in any moment. Difficult as it may be at times, we must. We don’t have to put on a fake Polly Positive attitude, but we cannot go down deeper by dwelling on the problems at hard, expecting things to get better.
We can begin with letting His word lead us there. We can be grateful for a God who loves us. That is a beautiful thought to dwell upon on the way to better days. Fill up your mind with his Holy words, with Holy thoughts, with Holy actions. This is what binds us to Him when we need wenching out of the gumbo mud.
Lord, thank you for our many blessings… for the air we breathe and the healthy lungs that allow us to do so. Strengthen us in our weak moments. Give us a mindset shift by helping us to focus on you, your word, your plans for our lives. Forgive us of our sins and help us to make the next right decision that honors and glorifies you. In Jesus Name, Amen
A FRUITFUL LEGACY 