The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

—Philippians 4:8

This verse is sandwiched between two others about having the peace of God, and I’m pretty sure that’s not an accident.

Even secular studies have revealed that focusing on the things we’re grateful for is beneficial for long–term mental health, while focusing on the negative things in our lives only brings inner turmoil.

It’s human nature for the bad to outweigh the good in our minds. We let ten bad minutes ruin our whole day or one negative comment outweigh seven good ones. This is called “negativity bias,” and it’s not good for us. It gives the bad more power over us than the good and gives Satan a place to sow anger and bitterness in our hearts (Ephesians 4:27; Hebrews 12:15).

God knows that it’s better for us to spend our time considering the good things and to let them overshadow the bad in our hearts and minds, bringing his peace. This doesn’t mean we pretend the bad doesn’t happen or that it doesn’t affect us, but it does mean we don’t let it control us or our faith in the Lord.

When our negative thoughts are taking control in our minds, it’s good to ask ourselves, “What is true in my life today? What is honorable? What is right, pure, lovely, and commendable?”

If we’re going to have anything on repeat in our minds, it needs to be these things.

We focus on them and let the peace of God rule in our hearts.

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