“If you put on the right lenses, you can reframe whatever comes your way and embrace both the good and the bad, recognizing that every detail of your life is fully in God’s sovereign hands.”
Laurie Polich Short
To reframe something is to change your focus or perspective on it. It’s to look at it from an entirely new or different angle, which shifts our mindset. Altered thoughts and beliefs result in behavior change. Recently while writing my journal response to an exercise in The Good and Beautiful You, the Holy Spirit reframed my view regarding what I had thought was a true narrative.
The journal prompt asked, “How has my perception of myself been shaped by the way others have treated me?” The Holy Spirit took me back to my childhood memories when I lacked an emotional connection with my dad because he chose to be with his friends more than with me. I believed I was not special enough for my dad to make me a priority to spend time together and as a result, I felt rejected and ashamed.
The Holy Spirit flipped the lie and reframed it with the truth that was the opposite of what I believed. He told me it was because I was so special that my dad feared he would make a mess of the relationship or would hurt me and that is why he chose to be with his friends. In Dad’s eyes, it was less risky to be with his friends since his love for them was less than his love for me. “I’m not special” was my sense of self before God’s reframing of the situation. After God flipped the lie and revealed the truth, I now believe, “I’m extra special!”
Reframing involves looking at the challenging situation from God’s perspective, not our own. It’s as if we put on a new set of lenses. When we give God thanks, that is precisely what we’re doing. Being thankful is a way we reframe the circumstance and by faith, we choose to believe and place our trust in God’s sovereignty. It is God’s perspective from which we want to live our lives. He's promised: "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Laurie Polich Short writes, “Where we choose to focus makes all the difference in what we see. Reframing your perspective can transform your life.”
“By reframing his life, Paul was able to find peace and satisfaction in what was, instead of spending his days wishing for what could be.”
Laurie Polich Short
Relevant Reflections:
What situation do you need to reframe and see from God’s perspective? You can start by thanking God for the set of circumstances.
Where do you need to flip the lie and believe God’s truth?
Image by Tope Asokere from Pixabay
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