Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.  Psalm 42:5
 
 
Sometimes life happens. In spades. We’re reeling with events beyond our control and feeling powerless to control the chaos swirling around us. Perhaps you or a loved one has received an upsetting medical diagnosis. Perhaps you’ve been “downsized” at work once again or hit yet another rocky phase in an exhausting marriage or parenthood.
 
How do you allow those events to shape you? Yes, that’s right. “Allow”. Even when we feel helpless, we still have choices. We may not be able to control a raging disease, a devastating financial situation, or a gut-wrenching relationship, but there is one thing we can control. We are not as powerless as it seems.
 
Years ago, I remember reading a book by author and pastor Chuck Swindoll. This phrase has stuck with me over the years. He says that our lives are impacted by 10% of what actually happens to us and by 90% of how we react to it. We have more power than we realize. Our attitude impacts us more than we think. I would even rephrase Swindoll’s thought to say our attitudes impact us even more than our life-events.
 
There are many facets to our attitude and the choices we can make. We can choose to find joy even in the midst of sorrow. We can decide to muster our courage and face the issue head on or wallow in our misery. We can even allow whatever has happened to define us, to shape our identity, so that this life-event permeates the rest of our life, sucking the energy out of us while this circumstance controls us. Or, we can choose differently. One of the biggest choices we have is to decide whether we are going to be a victim of what has happened or whether we are going to be the victor.
 
The dictionary defines being a victim as one who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agent. While we may be physically or emotionally suffering, we can choose to not let it define us. If we give in to that destruction or injury, we are giving up our power. This life-event can then control us, including our thoughts, our actions, and what we talk about. We can play the victim, but if we do, we will rob ourselves of life, of the very joy of living. We will quench the Holy Spirit working in us and will not experience the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We will lose hope.
 
Victor, on the other hand, is defined by overcoming or defeating an adversary. Yes, we can choose to be the victor. We don’t have to allow our circumstances to rule our minds and our hearts. We can choose to operate with a hopeful attitude, knowing that our hope is from God. Romans 5:5 says, in reference to suffering, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” While it may sound “Pollyanna-ish”, we can decide how something will impact us internally.  We can choose to be victorious and overcome. We can choose to be resilient and not wallow in defeat. We can choose to be hopeful because our hope is in God, in His mighty power and strength, and His great love for us.
 
Jesus said in John 16:33 that in this life we WILL have trouble. We’re not protected from suffering or trials. But what we do with them is what really matters. We each have a choice – to be a victim or to be a victor. Which will you choose today?
 
 
Heavenly Father, even when life’s circumstances are painful, help me choose to overcome with an attitude based on Your power, strength, and love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of snow-capped Andes towering over high desert topography, Uco Valley, near Mendoza, Argentina.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

​The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction.  Proverbs 16:21
 
 
King Solomon was given the chance to ask for anything he wanted. He could have asked for riches, power, or fame. Instead, he asked for wisdom. God not only made Solomon a very wise king, sought after by other heads of state for his vast wealth of wisdom, He also gave Solomon wealth, honor, and a long life. (See 1 Kings 3:4-15) I have to believe that Solomon was just a wee bit wise in the first place to request wisdom above all else!
 
Using his God-given wisdom, Solomon ruled the nation of Israel, often acting as judge to solve disputes among his people. The story of two women who fought over a child they each claimed as their own comes to mind. Solomon commanded the child be cut in half and each half given to each woman. The real mother cried out to spare the child’s life and give the child to the other woman whom she knew was not the child’s mother. How wise of Solomon to judge rightly in that situation! As a result, the child was restored to its real mother. (See 1 Kings 3:16-28)
 
Discernment and judgment are often confused. Proverbs 16:21 says that those who are wise are also discerning. The dictionary defines “discerning” as “showing good or outstanding judgment and understanding”. While judgment is defined as the ability to make a wise decision, it also means the forming of an opinion or coming to a conclusion.
 
So while discernment and judgment are related, being discerning and judging can be two different actions with opposing consequences. The Bible says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2) It’s easy to fall into the trap of critical and judgmental thinking. When we set ourselves up as judge, humility goes out the window and we focus on what others are doing wrong, often feeling compelled to share our “judgy” thoughts in a hurtful way. Sometimes these thoughts surface from a bitter and unhappy soul in a pathetic attempt to gain happiness. Interestingly, often we judge others in areas where we feel inadequate and insecure. When we find ourselves spouting judgy and critical words, do we stop long enough to ask ourselves where these words are rooted in our hearts? Do we ask God, the Master Gardener, to rip out these poisonous roots and sow seeds of love and grace instead?
 
Sometimes it is good to judge – but not in a critical way. Again in Matthew 7, this time in verse 15, Jesus says “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Sometimes people aren’t always as they seem. While we are not called to judge them in a harsh and critical way, we are called to use discernment so we will not be taken in by folks who might not have our best interests at heart.
 
What’s the difference between judging and discerning? It’s not a coincidence that the second half of Proverbs 16:21 says “gracious words promote instruction.” If we are discerning correctly, without a judgmental and critical attitude, our words will be our proof. Speaking with grace with the hope of instruction (or not speaking at all!) shows we are discerning. If our words are critical and hurtful, then we’ve crossed the fine line into judgment. If we’re unsure how to stay on the side of discernment, like Solomon, we need to ask God for wisdom and He will give it to us (James 1:5).
 
There are consequences to both judging and discerning. We know from Matthew 7:1-2 that if we judge others, we ourselves will be judged. But if we are wise in our relationships, seeking out those who would encourage us rather than spending time with those who would hurt us, then that’s exercising discernment. Discernment is wisdom in practice. And King Solomon himself would find that desirable most of all.
 
 
Lord, give me a discerning heart and take away my propensity to criticize and judge. Like Solomon, I desire wisdom most of all. Grant me Your wisdom in all my relationships. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of tulips from the garden of Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott, Melrose, Scotland.
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:3-5
 
 
Of the top best-selling books of all times and in any language, the seven Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling all rank in the top twenty (excluding the Bible and other religious texts). Becoming fans sometime after the third book was published, my children and I couldn’t wait to read the next installment of the magical adventures of a curious and brave wizard named Harry.
 
Hogwarts, Harry’s school, contained many interesting and magical devices, particularly in the Headmaster’s Office of Professor Dumbledore. Ever curious, Harry traveled back into memories through an instrument called a Pensieve. Gleaming with an iridescent glow, this watery basin got the best of Harry’s curiosity on numerous occasions. With the help of his magic wand, Dumbledore extracted wispy strands of his memory, holding them up to the light before placing them swirling into the luminescent waters of the Pensieve. When Harry drew his face down into the water, he entered the magical world of those memories, watching as an outsider the events unfold from long ago. As he silently observed these memories, sometimes Harry discovered that some memories had been altered to conceal the truth of what really had happened. Those tampered memories were no longer truth, but were in fact lies.
 
As I recently studied spiritual warfare, I came to realize that the spiritual battleground we fight begins in our minds. The enemy will do anything to distract us, instill fear into us, and keep us from the truth of God’s love for us and the abundant life He desires for us. It all starts with our thoughts.
 
2 Corinthians 10:4 talks about using spiritual weapons to “demolish strongholds”. In military terms, a stronghold is a fortress built to keep out invaders. In this verse, strongholds refer to the partitions that the enemy builds in our minds to separate our thoughts from God’s truth. When our thoughts run without God’s truth, we start believing lies about God and ourselves. Lies like “I am not worthy”, or “God doesn’t love me”, or “I am not lovable” take hold of our minds and take our thoughts down destructive paths.
 
By putting on the Helmet of Salvation and using the Sword of Truth (Ephesians 6:17), we can break down these strongholds. Strapping on the Helmet of Salvation protects our minds from the lies the enemy would tell us as we affirm our belief in the power of the resurrected Christ and our identity as belonging to Him. Taking the Sword of Truth, meaning the Word of God, by reading and meditating on Scripture further combats the enemy’s lies.
 
2 Corinthians 10:5 says we are to take captive every thought. As I pondered what “taking captive every thought” meant, I wondered if that really meant every thought. (That would be “yes”!) What exactly does taking a thought captive really mean? It means grabbing that thought and holding it up to the light of God’s Word and seeing if that thought aligns with God’s truth.
 
Like Dumbledore, we have to grasp our thoughts, particularly the negative ones, and examine them against the light. Like Harry, we have to bravely face the swirl of our minds to see if these thoughts are true or whether they’ve been tampered with by our own biases or lies from the enemy. Only when we intentionally take every thought captive and examine them in the “Pensieve” of God’s Word, can we break down the strongholds of untruths and become the children of God we were intended to be, saved by the Savior and loved by the King. Free of thoughts that would entangle us and ultimately destroy our identity in Christ, we can live the abundant life of love, peace, and joy.
 
 
Heavenly Father, when my negative thoughts start swirling around in my mind, help me take them captive by holding them up to the truth of Your Word. Thank You for the love, peace, and joy that comes from living in Your truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of artful figures at Salentein Winery, Uco Valley, Argentina.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™