I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I was recently INJURED in a helicopter incident.

During takeoff, the helicopter blade hit my middle finger and SPLIT my fingernail right down the middle, from top to bottom. Ouch!!!

My nail was half detached, so when I touched anything it would pull on the tender FLESH underneath that used to be protected.

(Are you feeling SORRY for me yet?)

Toy Story

Oh…did I mention that the helicopter that injured me was purchased at the DOLLAR store for my daughter?

Yep. I was wounded by a plastic TOY!

I don’t think the “I hurt myself with a toy angle” wasn’t NEARLY interesting enough.

So when I begin to tell this story, I EMBELLISH or just omit critical FACTS.

Have you ever exaggerated or inflated YOUR problems in the interest of JUSTIFYING your actions or moods?

It’s Only Natural

Our human nature is to make our OWN circumstances appear more IMPORTANT than they really are, in order to frame other people’s opinions the way we WANT them to think about us. Many times, the way we are actually thinking about us.

We are JUSTIFYING our actions by MAGNIFYING our issues about:

•Why we’re feeling so STRESSED out.
•Excusing why we’re ACTING the way we are.
•Or occasionally, just to get a little ATTENTION.

The catch to the totally natural thought process is this, If we insist on blowing up the SMALL stuff in our lives (for whatever reason) it will become exactly as BIG a problem as we make it.

The Thing About Thinking

If we THINK our molehill problem is a mountain, it will be in our sight.

If we THINK we’re good enough to get the job done, then we WILL be.

If we THINK everyone is out to GET us, every action will seem that way to us.

The Bible knows that the way we think will determine how we live. It says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

The Right Approach

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, be careful about how you think YOUR story.

•How you FRAME your thinking will establish how you feel.
•How you FEEL it will be reflected in how you tell your story.
•How you TELL people your life is going will govern how you are.
•HOW we approach a situation will ultimately determine how it will AFFECT us.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

You have much more CONTROL over how your day turns out than you might think.

God has told us how much He LOVES us and how He created us for GOOD.

We need to THINK about it, BELIEVE it , TALK about our life God’s way and then LIVE it!

Have you recently made a “mountain out of a mole hill” and then let it frame your thinking?

If my goofy encounter with a dollar store toy can evolve into a “helicopter accident”, then I bet you have a story to share, too!