*How’s Your Thought Life was written in collaboration by women at Planting Roots, a faith-based nonprofit serving Christian military women and wives. If you’re interested in joining a highly creative and supportive writing, praying, and worshiping community please connect with us.

How’s your thought life? 

An American preacher once wrote, “Physically, you are what you eat, but spiritually, you are what you think.”

Let’s unpack that today. Calories, good or bad, come from food. Words and actions, good or bad, come from thoughts. Abuse of food leads to disease and death. Abusive thoughts lend themselves to mental health disease and spiritual death. 

What we think about matters. In fact, I’d argue that our thought lives are in direct correlation to our overall well being and health. Not to mention the health of our most critical relationships.

The Bible provides us wisdom to combat ‘stinkin’ thinkin’ as my grandmother called it. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV) says, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 

So, how do we ‘take captive’ our thoughts in ‘obedience’ to Christ? And why does that sound so intense!?

I would offer this: because it is THAT serious.

Just as when we begin ‘watching what we eat’ we track our food and our calorie choices, so too can we ‘watch what we think’ by objectively listening to our thoughts and even journaling them out.

Thoughts like: I’m too dumb to do this project at work. or I don’t have time to read my Bible. Or even, “He’ll never change, why bother.” 

Now, here’s the trick. Don’t judge yourself for those thoughts!

just write them objectively without reservation like you would for a beloved friend and reply with truth. IN WRITING. Because there’s some magic there when you write the words, it does something in the neurons of your brain.

And the power behind this exercise grows exponentially when it is scripture reminding you of the capital-T Truth. There is literal neural transformation happening with scripture.

The Book of Hebrews 4:12 says it this way: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

There is a mixture of spiritual mind and physical brain here that matters to our roles in the Kingdom of God.

So. Here we go. I’m about to show you some Biblical magic.* 

Erin is preparing for her work day in the Army, she’s been asked to do something really hard. She’s already struggling being a single mom with a little girl at home and a husband in Korea for a year-long tour.

She’s tired. Work is filled with people-problems. Home is filled with…well, home-problems. When her commander assigns her this prestigious (if she gets it right) new role, she’s terrified.

The thoughts begin racing:

I’m too dumb, I’ve never been good at this kind of thing. ‘m going to fail just like I failed (insert all the times I’ve failed), and oh by the way while I’m here in my negative thought patterns I’m going to go ahead and obsess over how I had to buy new pants because my eating habits haven’t been great. My daughter is going to lose her mother and become a virtual orphan raised by a 23-year-old nanny.

Yikes. Instead of turning on the TV or doom-scrolling, Erin stops.

She sits down at the kitchen table that night after her daughter is asleep, and writes out each thought as she can recall it. Then she begins to respond with her Bible next to her.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God has a plan for me that is for my good! It doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it does mean that ultimately He is shaping me and molding me for my good and for His Kingdom. He loves me. I am lovable. Every single morning He gives us NEW mercies so I can get up and take my daughter for a long walk tomorrow and worry about treating my body with kindness rather than its size. I will put boundaries up at work to love my daughter well at home, my first ministry. 

On and on she goes, responding with Biblical truth (and sometimes life truth).

She has taken captive those thoughts. She has submitted them to Christ through responding with Biblical truth and she has transformed her own mind, renewing and strengthening her for the task ahead.

Magic.

Erin goes one step further. She replaces two hours of streaming shows with a women’s Bible Study at her house one night a week. Just a few friends with kids.

The kids play, the mamas pray.

They evaluate their thoughts are evaluated and remind one another of God’s truth with a healthy dose of perspective. Community and friendship abound.

She now looks forward to this night every week no matter how crazy her life gets. And…so does her daughter.

Friend, you are not alone!

Take captive your thoughts and submit them to a Truth higher than anything this life can throw at you. And critically, in military-Christian-women life, find friends to go on the journey with you.

Reach out to us if you need help either with online community or in your own zip codes. We have options.

Love,

Planting Roots

*This case study is a mix of two true stories under a pseudonym. 

Editor’s Note: This is our first Quarterly installment by Planting Roots. We are so grateful to have them in our space! Check out their bio on our website and please reach out directly to them for more connection!