Is That True?

I don’t know who originated the quote, “Don’t believe everything you think,” but I agree with the sentiment.  As someone who is prone to catastrophizing, I try not to believe everything my brain comes up with.  I ask myself, “Is that true?”  If I find myself ruminating that my spouse does nothing around the house, I ask myself, “Is that true?”  When I step back and think objectively, I realize that she coordinated getting our tires rotated, paid our family’s bills, and ran to the store when I needed an ingredient, among other tasks I rarely think about.  She definitely does more than NOTHING.  For some reason, it can be hard for my brain to find a happy middle ground between catastrophe and toxic positivity.  I know this is because brains like unambiguous clarity.  However, life is full of nuance.

Jesus approached the world with a questioning spirit.  He used questions as a teaching method, which prompted reflection and self-examination with the people he spoke to.  He asked people what they wanted (Matthew 20:21), why they were afraid (Matthew 8:26) and what they thought (Luke 5:22).  Questions can reveal our hearts and our motives.  Questions prove that we can be uncertain and probably should be more uncertain than we are. 

 When I have certainty, I remember that questions are usually better than answers.  I want to live in an atmosphere of growth.  I can’t grow if I already know the answer.  

 Creator,

You gave us questioning minds.  Help us to be more open to new questions and new answers.  Teach us that knowing is not always the goal, but growing through uncertainty is how we find peace.  Amen

 Michelle is a Program Analyst and an acting Safety Manager with the Department of Veterans Affairs. She’s a wife, mother, sister, and friend, a chocolate and coffee lover, reader of books, listener of podcasts, and a travel enthusiast.

P.S.  The picture I chose doesn’t have anything to do with my devotional, but I used to do a monthly series called “What’s Making Us Happy” for Peace Church.  What’s been making me happy recently is learning about the Rubin Observatory.  Named for Vera Rubin (1928-2016), an American Astronomer whose work on galaxy rotation rates provided evidence for dark matter.  She often faced skepticism in her male-dominated field, but she persisted.  The Rubin Observatory is in Cerro Pachon, Chile.  It just started sending images, and they are stunning.  They are also in the public domain, so they are available for anyone to use as long as properly attributed.