How do you feel when you lose something? Have you ever lost your car keys, driver’s license, wedding ring, important papers, etc.? In our household, it’s not uncommon to misplace stuff, and I frequently hear, “Hey mom, do you know where the __________ is?” I get asked the location for boots, batteries, hats, shoes, celery salt, screwdrivers, dish detergent, corn starch, and heaps more random things. It’s nice when I know where stuff is, but the key to all of these questions is this axiom: a place for everything and everything in its place.
To this end, I often tell my family to put things back in their place so we can find them again. The dish detergent belongs under the kitchen sink; the screwdriver lives in the toolbox, the cornstarch goes on the baking shelf, the boots go in the boot bin in the garage, etc. When we don’t put stuff back in their place, we needlessly waste time looking for stuff. Maybe you hear a little bit of my frustration with this domestic tango.
While I think it can be a little funny to do this domestic tango, it’s not as humorous to think about losing my mind or the idea of misplacing my soul. I’ve been thinking about this because of the recent snowstorm we had in Denver, which I referenced in my last blog. During this snowstorm, we were stuck at home because of the adverse weather conditions, and this reminded me of the COVID lockdown last year around the same time.
The COVID lockdown last year wasn’t a good experience for me because there were many days when my mind got dark because of feeling trapped and isolated. Maybe it felt like I was losing my mind because it was going down many dark rabbit holes, thinking about an endless lockdown, inadequate wifi bandwidth, feeling despondent, and not seeing an end on the horizon. There’s only so much you can do for socializing and activity on Zoom and Facetime.
So, where do we put our mind or soul in these situations so that we don’t misplace or lose our minds? What are some alternative locations where we can place our mind or thoughts?
I’ve been thinking about this question over recent days, and I’ve found a few helpful verses that have been anchoring to me. Maybe these verses would be helpful to you or someone you know who might be struggling with some mental or emotional stability. These verses include:
- Psalm 16:8, “I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
- Philippians 4:7, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (NLT)
- Romans 8:6, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
When we might feel like we’re losing or misplacing our minds, I think it can be helpful to keep these verses in the crosshairs of our focus. These verses give our minds an alternative destination to going down dark alleys that can lead to despair and some crazy thoughts and feelings. When we keep our mind set on Jesus, this can help us from misplacing or losing our minds!
As we begin to think about Palm Sunday, the upcoming Holy Week, and Easter, let’s decide to make some mental adjustments and prioritize our focus on Jesus. Making this tweak can help us keep from losing or misplacing our minds!
