Not everything is a catastrophe …
Considering the average person has thousands of thoughts every day, it’s not a surprise that research reveals most of those thoughts occur at a subconscious, or unconscious, level.
How we process our thoughts is of great importance, because our thoughts create our emotions, and the combination of our thoughts and emotions creates our behavior.
We do a lot of things with our thoughts!
Some of those “things” are good, some not so good. For example, we can develop patterns or habits of thinking referred to as “cognitive distortions,” which are irrational or “distorted” ways of thinking.
One of those ways is called “catastrophizing.”
Have you ever known someone who is a live version of Chicken Little? They’re the person who can take any situation and turn it into an impending catastrophe, as if “the sky is falling!” This person tends to persistently view situations, events, and real challenges through the view of being a worst-case scenario.
It’s an irrational way to view life, and it’s exhausting for the people in the life of someone who thinks and behaves this way.
Not everything is a catastrophe.
In fact, most things aren’t!
More often than not for most of us, what we tend to think and treat as a certain, impending worst-case-scenario never turns out to be truly worst-case-scenarios, although the “worst” sometimes does happen in life.
But acting like many things are a worst-case-scenario when they aren’t will create significant inner turmoil in your life. A skilled counselor can help you learn how to change your thinking so you can change your life … for the better!
A final thought …
It’s important we not miss one of humanity’s most important realities: Sin is life’s worst-case-scenario. It separated us from God, resulted in spiritual death, and robs us of hope.
But there’s good news!
Sin does not have to be ultimately catastrophic in your life! Through the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on our behalf, the catastrophe of sin is overcome!
“But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 6:22-23.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
With the catastrophe of sin dealt with through Jesus Christ, you can have the peace of Christ in whatever life brings … even if a worst-case-scenario really does happen.
Scotty
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