The Pink Elephant Principle

Philippians 4:8-9 – Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes all things work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (MSG)

The Pink Elephant Principle is very simple. Dear readers, let's all close our eyes and think of pink elephants! See pink elephants playing hopscotch on the plains of Africa! Watch pink elephants as they tread water in the river! Gaze on pink elephants as they play catch with falling coconuts!

Now — stop thinking of pink elephants! Ha! Gotcha! It's impossible, isn't it?

But if we all begin to think of orange and purple polka-dotted giraffes racing across grassy slopes and sliding down mountains, we will forget our pink elephants.

When negative thoughts are in our mind, we dwell on them. They obsess us. They take over our lives. If we choose instead to think good, positive thoughts, how different our lives will be.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, forgive us for our negative hearts, minds, and mouths. Today we choose to look for and think on the true and the gracious. We will praise and not curse. We begin now, Lord, by dwelling on Your love for us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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