Just Stop Thinking

My brain never stops. I overanalyze and overthink every single thing. I think about the "what ifs" and the "buts" and the "maybes" and the "whys" and everything else all the time.

If this sounds like you at all then you can relate...

I know if I would just shut my brain off every now and again I could get through my days with a little more energy and less anxiety... But guess what? I think about doing that too and it just doesn't happen. My mind doesn't know how to stop. Sure, there isn’t anything wrong with thinking. It is excessive thinking that becomes dangerous. It’s dangerous because it can instantly change a good attitude into a bad one, it can cause you to judge a lot of situations and misinterpret things, and it can be the cause of a lot of unnecessary stress.

I’ve experienced all of these results from over-thinking….

It is exhausting.

I have a tragically difficult time trying to fall asleep. Most nights I lay awake just staring at the wall for at least an hour. Oftentimes, I start praying but even then my mind keeps running circles and talking and talking and talking. Sometimes I listen to music and try to use that to distract me. Or I'll find some show on Netflix and see if can fall asleep watching that. But last night I tried something different.

I had already been trying to fall asleep for something like 45 minutes. I literally kept repeating the words "go to sleep" in my head as if that would actually help my situation. It didn't, until I changed the words.

"Peace be still, and know that I am God."

(words from a song by Rush of Fools called ‘Peace be Still.’ It can also be found in Scripture- Mark 4:39, Matthew 8)

I kept repeating that simple statement over and over again in my mind. A few times I got sidetracked, but as soon as I did I remembered those words again....

"Peace be still...I am God."

It couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 minutes later that I finally fell asleep.

It seems so simple. God is God and I can experience peace because of that. There doesn’t have to be complexity in that statement at all. It can be simple if we make it simple: God is in control. I’ve written other blogs about this before… Mostly because it is one of my biggest struggles in my walk with Christ. But this small, simplistic statement allows me to set my priorities straight over and over again.

“Peace be still, I am God.”

Just let life be simple. Let God be God. Stop thinking about every little detail and let things be. Don’t even attempt to control what God already has in his hands… It isn’t worth the stress. Just be still, fill your mind with the truth that God is God, you are His, and stop thinking about everything else.

We were made to not only glorify God, but to enjoy Him to the fullest. It’s a tragedy in my life when my overthinking keeps me from enjoying him fully. My prayer tonight is that everyday my thoughts become more tuned into His stillness, and less tuned into everything else.   

If I'm truly aimless because I'm anchored to Christ, my thoughts have to be centered on finding joy and peace in who God is. 

Peace is all over the place in Scripture. Specifically in Psalms it talks about how peace is actually a blessing from God. 

"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace." 

(Psalm 29:11)

Don't deny yourself the blessing of peace because you're too busy thinking about everything else. Peace is right at your fingertips. If you can stop holding on to everything else, you might just find that holding onto God's peace is simpler than it seems.