Pet Peeves

Years ago I remember sitting down and making a list of my pet peeves.  I don't know why I did this.  I think that I said "Oh that's my biggest pet peeve!" about something but then got to wondering if it really was and what were my others.  So I went around for a week thinking "Oh that bugs me"  and "that bugs me too!" and jotting them all down.  And pretty soon all I had on my mind were complaints. This verse came to mind and brought me to my senses.

Philippians 4:8
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.

These are the kinds of things we are to be thinking about.  If I have a pet peeve on my mind, it might be true but isn't noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy - so why am I wasting precious head space thinking about it?  To think of this verse another way, God tells us not to think about things that aren't true, aren't pure, aren't lovely... This isn't a suggestion it's a command and to not follow God's commands is to sin.  

I really enjoyed this book by Elizabeth George.  She talks about how to take every thought captive, win over worry, live one day at a time, and put the past in the past.  Here is a quote from the book that I really liked.  I'm sorry it's so long.  
         A healthy thought life - a thought life that is pleasing to God - comes out of a close relationship with Him.  ....  Through His Word, God calls us to use our mind to think about what is true and real.  Once we determine what is true and real, we can then function according to these facts instead of our feelings or fantasies.  When we aren't functioning according to what is real, it is much like trying to function when you have the fever or the flu.  You know how limited you are when you're not healthy.  Even though you continue to fulfill your responsibilities  something is missing.  The demands of each task and your body's ability to respond are out of sync   You may do your work, but thee is little, if any, enthusiasm.  Many times tasks are half done or done poorly.  Poor physical healthy means less energy and lesser performance.  The same thing happens in the spiritual realm.  Like a virus, our thoughts have the ability to drain our energy and cripple our usefulness.  Our thoughts can, however, also be a source of strength when we dwell on the powerful truths of Scripture and let God work through those truths to change our way of thinking.

If we focus our thoughts on the things that bug us or ways we've been hurt, we will not only be unhappy but it will cripple our usefulness.  I want to be be useful to God. I want to have a sweet disposition and for people to love being near me because I'm pleasant to be around.  Have you ever tasted an old green olive?  It's nasty because it's been sitting in it's own juice for too long.  (Maybe it was nasty to begin with depending on whether or not you like green olives but you get the point)  How many people do you know that are like that?  Who are crabby and bitter because they've been sitting in their own juice for too long?  Complaining and focusing on our frustrations will drain us of energy, cripple our usefulness and cause others to sin.  Oh Lord may I never do that!  May I take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5) and 

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.