My mind was whirling this morning as I looked at my to-do list. This is unusual, because I am totally a list kind of girl! I love making lists, and I find extreme satisfaction in checking off each item as it is accomplished. In fact, sometimes, if I complete a task not on my list, I’ll write it down just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off.
However, I have been sick for three weeks, and I am exhausted. My body is so worn down, and I simply don’t have the energy to accomplish more than a few items on a very long list. These items need done! I keep shelving them, thinking they’ll get done when I feel better, but I have no idea when that will happen! As I looked at my list, the overwhelm kicked in. I felt paralyzed and down about myself. Enter what I call the Truth and Importance test.
Thinking on Truth
Over the past several years, God has been teaching me to evaluate what is true. Thousands of thoughts float through our minds on a daily basis, and we tend to accept all of them as true. The reality is many of them are not true! An event may happen (fact), but how we interpret that event is often where the lie comes in.
For example, let’s say you’re standing in line at a coffee shop when you see an acquaintance walk in. You wave, but she walks right past you and begins chatting with another person in line. Those are the facts of the event. You get to choose how to interpret them.
3 Choices in How You Think
Choice 1: You could be completely offended that she ignored you and attribute it to her not liking you. You start to think that it’s because you don’t make friends easily. Maybe she thought you were socially awkward at the last dinner party when you chatted. Or maybe you think it’s because she is not a nice person. Or maybe you’re not pretty enough to be in her circle of friends. You get the idea. Basically, choice one is taking the facts of what happened and extrapolating in a negative way, making negative assumptions about another person’s thoughts or intentions. (FYI, this way of thinking is detrimental to your life, joy, and relationships.)
Choice 2: Assume the positive. Her intentions weren’t bad, maybe she just didn’t see you. Maybe she was in a hurry and had urgent business with the other person. Perhaps she didn’t recognize you. Or it could be that you intimidate her, and she was too shy to come chat. Choice two is a great start- a positive mindset can do wonders- but it is still subject to your interpretation, which still may not be true, and it doesn’t reach the issue that is going on inside of you.
Choice 3: Determine the truth in how to evaluate an event, determine its importance, and renew your mind with what God says. Hang with me, this will revolutionize your life! I call it the Truth and Importance Test.
The Truth and Importance Test:
- First, identify what you are believing that triggered your negative feeling. Think about what you are believing about yourself due to the event. Do you believe you are unworthy? Unlikable? Less valuable than others? Do you feel rejection?
- Next, ask yourself if that belief is true. Does God say that it is true? Thinking on truth is crucial.
- Third, identify if it is important. Even if the negative assumption about the other person was true, and she doesn’t like you and was ignoring you, does that change your value? Does her opinion of you matter? Whose opinion does matter and why? Does God say it is important?
- Lastly, (this is a crucial step!) intentionally think on what is true and important according to God. Bathe your mind in His Word and intentionally take on His values and priorities for your life. For example, if I have identified that a situation made me feel less valuable than another person because of how someone behaved, I can intentionally reject that lie and think on what is true based on the Word of God. Truth: I am extremely valuable and deeply loved by God. No action taken by another human can decrease my worth. What God thinks about me is immeasurably more important than what people think about me. I am called to love other people regardless of how they treat me or what they think of me.
The Truth and Importance Test
1.) Identify what belief triggered the feeling inside of you
2.) Identify if that belief is true or not
3.) Identify if the situation is actually important or significant according to God
4.) Renew your mind by thinking on what is true and important based on what God says
The Truth and Importance Test Steps Summary, Lindsey Currier
It is a fantastic habit to think positively, but it is life-changing to get to the root of your untrue beliefs and reprogram your mind to think on what is true and what God says is important.
So how does this work with my to-do list overwhelm this morning? First, I determined that my initial belief was that I was not enough if I didn’t accomplish the tasks on my list. After recognizing that belief wasn’t true, I went on to identify which items God thought were important for me to accomplish. I was able to determine that only one item was something that God specifically asked of me, and two items needed done for my family’s health and well-being. All the other items were nonessential in the scheme of life and can wait until I have recovered. I don’t have to beat myself up about not getting enough done, because I can focus on what is truly key and let the other things go.
I choose to renew my mind by thinking on the truth that God gives me what I need to accomplish what He wants for me in whatever season I am in. Sometimes it is more and sometimes less, but I never have to stress about not being enough. He always gives me and makes me enough for what is genuinely important.
