Mind Fullness

Today we’re talking about mind fullness. How do we get to the space of freeing our minds and letting go of the thoughts that cloud our vision, hope and peace, so what we think and what we do align with truth, and position us to receive the goodness we deserve? 

Have you ever had a train of thought that took a sharp turn in a direction you didn’t expect? Or have you ever traced a thought to it’s source? Our thoughts have an interesting way of moving our motivation and intentions.

Enjoying what you hear? Visit me at loveworthwork.com and share the goodness. Thank you for listening. 

Transcript

Renada [00:00:25]:
Hey. Hey. Good day. May this be your blessing and mindset that today was made just for you. So that that fills your heart with hope, fills your mind with peace. To know that heaven designed this day with you in mind. And that today holds every thing that you need to be the best version of yourself for yourself, so that you succeed. So let's start today with some self love because you are worthy.

Renada [00:01:04]:
With some self worth because you are deserving. And a little self work, because it builds you, it grows you, it makes you better, and it gives you a chance to receive the goodness that you deserve today. I'm Renata. Welcome. Welcome. And I'm so glad that you are listening and sharing in this time today. So let's get into it. Let's get started.

Renada [00:01:34]:
Because today we are talking about mindfulness. Not just mindfulness, but mindfulness. So how do we get to the space of freeing our minds and holding in our minds the right thoughts so that we do not cloud our vision, our hope, or our peace. So that what we think and what we do aligns and positions us to receive the goodness that we are deserving of. So, let's start with a question. Have you ever had a train of thought and you were in the middle of thinking something? You knew that the train was on track, it was going somewhere, and then all of a sudden, your mind goes in a direction that you did not intend, you did not foresee, and you're like, oh, wait a minute. How did I even get to thinking these things? Where did this even come from? Because that's happened to me before, actually, it happens often, and I got to snatch those thoughts back. Or have you ever stopped and traced a thought to its source? You end up somewhere, and then you start unraveling.

Renada [00:03:04]:
What motivated that line of thinking? What was the intention? How did it become this thing? Have you ever done that? So usually my thoughts will try to deviate, go somewhere else, go too deep, too far, and then I have to talk myself out of that. It's okay. That was really what happened during COVID It was like, okay, let's step back. Everything isn't germs. Everything isn't death. Everything isn't destruction. You know what's true, Renata? You understand? Pull yourself back. So that was where I was for a while in making sure that my thoughts were grounded.

Renada [00:03:55]:
And then I learned you have to get to the source of those thoughts. What is really at the root of that? That's mindfulness. Because our thoughts have an interesting way of moving our motivation and intention. What you think and how you think it actually matters. Not just what you think, and not just how you think, but both. They both matter. And it isn't just because it's a part of self care to be mindful, right? It is more because whatever your mind is full of becomes how you respond to what is happening around you with action. And your actions become your habits, and over time, your habits become your nature.

Renada [00:04:54]:
And we see this. We've heard this before, because you know the quote that says, I think, therefore I am. And that's a real thing. And the Bible describes it in scripture, as a man thinketh in his heart, or as a woman thinketh in her heart, so is he, or so is she. And that is so powerful. And proverbs 23 seven tells us that because our heart and our mind are so inexplicably connected, whatever our minds are full of, it either blesses us or it binds us. It either causes you to move forward with direction or stand still because of doubt or fear or uncertainty. And one really valuable lesson that I learned is that where your mind goes, your spirit will follow.

Renada [00:06:04]:
And it took a while to. I understood it first, but I didn't embrace it. You know how you can know something, but you don't really allow it to become ingrained in how you move or how you think or how you operate? You can know, but you don't understand. So I'm sure that there are other people who can relate to this. In high school, there was this series of movies called Final Destination. And y'all. Those movies forever changed my life. Right? So basically, the movie was a.

Renada [00:06:51]:
It was a horror movie series because it was a group of kids who were in high school, and they were all going through these horrific events that were based on a catalyst. Like, I can't remember all of the details, but I just remember that it was literally based on worst case scenario. So you're in a Ferris wheel or on a roller coaster, and thing snaps and you fall and you die. Or you're washing dishes, and you put your hand in. You put your hand in to get something out of the sink, and the garbage disposal comes on, and your hand is, like, taken off. Have no idea what drew me to the movies, probably because it was popular. But after watching that series of movies, that was instantly how my mind thought. So the world went from being full of possibility, open to opportunity, to what if this happens? I remember there was one of them where it was, like, 18 wheeler carrying these logs, and there was a group of people, passengers, driving behind the 18 wheeler.

Renada [00:08:10]:
And all of a sudden, the chains that were holding the logs unsnapped and caused an accident and people died because they crashed into one another. That kind of stuff was what motivated all of my thoughts. What if I do this and the worst possible thing happens? Or what if I go to step outside when it's raining and I fall and I slip and I bust my head on the sidewalk and now I have a traumatic brain injury? Like stuff that really you wouldn't really think of unless you were going to the most extreme part of your brain and allowing those thoughts to move you and to become your motivation and steal all of your peace. Because there was no kind of peace in that thinking. But I thought, I mean, of course this movie says these things are possible. Have to watch out, have to be careful. Can't be too careful. And it took becoming a mom to a boy to pull me out of that kind of thinking.

Renada [00:09:24]:
And as I look back over time, it is very interesting to see how my brain worked, pre boy mom and post boy mom. Because when I first became a parent, when I first became a mom, that kind of final destination thinking was, what happened? Like, oh, my gosh, what if I drop him and he falls off the bed and he breaks his neck? Obviously, I love this child and I'm going to be careful in holding him. Or what if I don't hear him cry? And he cries so long that he suffocates on his own tears and spit, like, oh my gosh, why am I thinking like this? I was a helicopter mom. Every single possibility played in my mind whenever we went to do something, every single one. And I would always think about the 1001 possibilities of what could be. And so I had to be there. I had to be there to keep him from hurting himself or from falling or from busting his lip or slipping on. I had to be there.

Renada [00:10:40]:
I have to be there. I have to be there. That was my motivation. And of course, in his provident and sovereign understanding, the Lord God knew I needed to be free from that. So he gave me a child who has a zest and zeal for life that pushes him to seek a thrill there is no challenge I can't overcome. That was his thinking, especially as a child. And so I learned through momming him that my mind wasn't settled because my thoughts were taking me to the furthest reaches of reality into what was now irrational lines of thinking that caused me to be fearful. Why would I be fearful? Why would I allow fear to be my motivation? Well, because I allowed myself to agree with the motivation of final destination.

Renada [00:11:49]:
Thinking like, my final destination must be destruction, because all of these things are possible. No life is too good. Why would the Lord God give the very best of heaven so that we could experience life and then set destruction as our final destination? That doesn't make sense. That doesn't make sense. I was allowing my thoughts to keep me from operating in faith because I would wake up in the morning, and then I would pray for protection and peace. I would give my cares to the Lord, but then I would go and take them back. Actually, Lord, you know what? In terms of protection, I think I got that. I think I can take care of all of the protection that we need.

Renada [00:12:45]:
I'm just going to be there. Be there for everything. I'm going to be right there. There's no faith in that because now I'm putting my expectations in myself, and now all of my thinking is centered on prevention of destruction instead of peace. Hmm. And it's. I can laugh now because it was not funny in the moment. The day that I came to the full circle, understanding that the lord desires of us was in 2017, we went on a trip to Colorado Springs.

Renada [00:13:40]:
Spontaneous road trip, one of the best trips we've ever taken. So we went to Colorado Springs, and this was the moment that I had to confront myself, because we went to the garden of the gods, and it was a place like nothing I had ever. Very beautiful. Beautiful. And we get out of the car, and this was the first time that we had been with the kids to explore mountains and cliffsides and rock formations. And I love geology, so I was really excited to be there and to share in that moment with my family. So, of course, here's the boy child. Mom, I want to go climb this, and I want to go climb that, and I'm trying to quell all of my angst and fear so that I don't ruin the moment, because, of course, my mind goes to all of the possibilities of destruction.

Renada [00:14:45]:
Okay. It was making me nervous, but I don't want to ruin the moment. So I'm like, okay, all right, renata, you could do this. You could be here. You can do this. You can be here. Just be here. And so I'm like, oh, yay.

Renada [00:15:02]:
And then here comes his sister right behind him, because she says, oh, there's nothing that he can do that I can't do. Spirit of challenge, but in a different way. He's challenging himself all the time physically. She's challenging herself all the time mentally. Like I am. Equally as that was their relationship. And so he's climbing this rock, and my husband is within close proximity, and she's climbing up after him. And I step back to take a picture, and the girl child goes to peer over the rock where they are sitting.

Renada [00:15:50]:
And instantly it was, like, in slow motion, but it wasn't slow motion because her hand slipped and she starts to fall over a cliff, y'all. I don't even know how high up we were, but we were high. And I was frozen. I was frozen, but my husband reached out, snatched her and brought her to him. And instantly I had to confront the panic and the reality that I couldn't have done anything even if I wanted to because I was frozen. And that's when I realized, okay, I really do have to trust. I really do have to surrender. Because in all of my prevention thinking, in all of my fear based motivation that happened from what my mind was full of, there was nothing I could do in that moment.

Renada [00:17:02]:
One, I'm not as strong as my husband, but two, I was further away from them than he was. And that was the day that I said, it's not worth helicopter mom thinking. It is not worth that. And I had to accept that. My thinking had to be different. And I am so thankful, because seeing that being in that moment helped me to realize so many things. I had to free my mind from being bound by believing that every situation was going to end in destruction. I had to release my mind to accept a different fullness of thought.

Renada [00:18:01]:
My mind had to become full of something else, because in that instance, I got to bear witness to the fact that the Lord God, who loves us, is so provident, he is so loving and faithful and kind and true to his word. Not only did he ensure that we got to go on a trip that forever stays with us because we often reminisce on that trip. But he ensured that I would have a husband who, as my kids say, is buff and could reach out and snatch his baby, keep her from destruction and meeting a fate that did not belong to her, but who is balanced enough to remind me that he's got us. And that is what, when I see him, I see the faithfulness of the Lord, because the Lord sees us the same way. He's like, hey, don't let your mind go to destruction. Be balanced because I've got you. Think on. Put your mind on the fact that I have goodness planned for you.

Renada [00:19:25]:
It has never left me. That moment has never left me. Philippians four, four through eight. One of my favorite scriptures, because it tells us the truth about what we think and how we think it. In that passage we are told that what we think and how we think it is supposed to give us peace of mind and heart. Because the Lord knows that where our minds go, our spirit follows. That's how you can go from being afraid of something to all of a sudden having a panic attack. Because where your mind went, your spirit followed.

Renada [00:20:14]:
And then your spirit was like, oh my gosh, everything's chaos, or this is too real. And then your mind starts screaming these things at you and your spirit's like, yeah, this is a potential, this is a possibility. There's destruction somewhere coming up. And it's like how you can get the sense that something's going to happen even though you don't really know what that something is. Because where your mind goes, your spirit follows. That's why we have to choose to be mindful. Our minds have to be full of the right thing so that what we think and how we think, it blesses us and doesn't bind us. When our minds are full of the goodness that we know we deserve, the things that are true, the things that are lovely, the things that are right, the things that are noble, we free ourselves from having to bear the burden of being our own manager, of being our own God, of being the solution for everything.

Renada [00:21:27]:
There's no possible way that you can be the end all, be all solution for your everything, much less anybody else's everything. It's not your job. It is not practical, it is not long term sustainable, because how we think and what we think is supposed to bless us. That's why we are told in two corinthians ten five that we are supposed to align our thoughts with what reflects our values and our boundaries. That we have the ability to take captive our thoughts and put them in the hope of a savior who sacrificed his life to free us from bondage. You don't have to be bound by your thinking. You get to choose what you think and how you think it. That's such a beautiful gift.

Renada [00:22:41]:
Such a beautiful gift. When I tell you all that, that day forever changed my life when I realized I cannot do it all, I cannot be all of the places, I cannot protect them from all of the things. But I know that God loves us enough, that there is a God who is faithful and active and present enough for me to put my hope in him and to let him protect and keep these children. It took me from being burdened as a parent because I had lost all of the joy and all of the peace. Because I was trying to be this solution for everything, to being able to enjoy mothering, watching these people grow up into who they were created and designed to be. So how do we get to the space where we give ourselves the grace to be mindful of the right things? Well, it starts by being still. Psalm 46 and Matthew eight, we learn about the power of being still. In Matthew eight, that's the story where Jesus is on a boat and there's a storm, and the disciples are with him.

Renada [00:24:15]:
And then they go and they wake him up, and they ask him, how can you sleep with what's happening around us? And he asks them, why do they have such little faith? And then he tells the storm, peace. Be still. There is peace when you choose to be still. And I'm not talking about the kind of stillness that immobilizes you because it's rooted in fear, not that kind of stillness, the kind of stillness that says, okay, let me take a step back and be objective in this situation. Let me take a breath. Let me pause for the cause, and let me then see the truth, what is happening around me. Let me gauge it in truth after I've breathed and filtered all of this stuff through truth, so that what is going on right now, this chaos doesn't change my motivation or my intention. Because when you step back and you become objective in the situation, you see yourself differently, and you get to recognize the power that you have so that you set your mind and steer your thoughts in the right direction.

Renada [00:25:43]:
Because the reality is, there was no reason for those disciples to be afraid. They had seen Jesus perform miracle after Miracle. So if you are on a boat with a miraculous person, what is the point of the fear? Well, we all get fearful when the chaos around us becomes how we see ourselves, because our mind becomes full of the chaos and not of the truth, the truth of who we are, the power that the Lord says that we have the reality and the understanding of what he has promised us. So you have to be still. You owe it to yourself to be still and say, oh, no, this might be the situation, but this is not my final destination. My final destination is not destruction. My final destination is not chaos. My final destination is peace.

Renada [00:26:50]:
My final destination is goodness. Because I deserve that. I am worthy of that. I have a father in heaven who says, that is how he has written my days. So then you step back and you say, no, I put a boundary there, and I know that boundaries bless me. Here is where I step back and I say, no, not today, chaos. Not today, foolishness. My mind is full of the goodness that I know I deserve.

Renada [00:27:28]:
So I'm going to reflect that in my values and in how I set my time and energy and resources to direct them rightly. And so, once we choose to be still, then you have the opportunity to anchor your hope. We all have something that our minds are anchored in. Sometimes it's what people call visualizing yourself. Sometimes it's grounding yourself in something. That is what your mind is anchored in. And words are powerful. You have to anchor your mind, because where your mind is anchored, that is what becomes your motivation.

Renada [00:28:17]:
When my mind was anchored in final destination thinking, my motivation was on preventing destruction. I had to be the preventer. I had to be the solution. And you have the power not only to choose your motivation, but what your mind is full of and anchor your hope on a word. A word that resonates and stays on the inside of you. A word that you play on repeat. And whether you realize it or not, because we all have something that our minds are anchored in, it could be negatively reinforced words. Or it can be positively reinforced words.

Renada [00:29:00]:
It could be words that were spoken to you years ago that you have now anchored your motivation in. Or it could be words that edified you and blessed you when someone complimented you, or somebody recognized something about who you were and that became your motivation. To live that out, we have to look to see where are we anchored. We chose to be still, okay? We took a breath. We became objective. And then we look to see what are we anchored in. Where is our hope anchored? And your hope should be anchored in a word. It could be a word of the day that you found that was inspirational or empowering to you.

Renada [00:29:46]:
It could be a Bible verse. It could be affirmations that you've read. It could be a quote that you've heard. But you need to have something, some word that you are anchored in, that your hope is anchored in, so that you keep that on replay in your mind, because it speaks to where you are, and it inspires you to hope. And then it becomes your motivation to direct how you respond and your actions in a way that reflects truth, it reflects your values, and it reflects your boundaries. So if you know that you are not going to allow people to diminish you with their words, then anytime somebody says something that is hurtful, anytime somebody says something that doesn't align with how you see yourself with where you have anchored your hope, you say, no, that's not who I am. And you say it out loud, no, that's not who I am, because you have to instantaneously anchor yourself, reorient yourself in your hope. You deserve that.

Renada [00:31:29]:
And then when your hope is anchored, you can envision and set your heart and your mind on one accord, so that your mind is so full of goodness that you recognize how to use your energy and your time and your resources on what you value. Because what you hold in your heart is a reflection of what you value. And the boundaries that you set are a reflection of your values. So you can see how it's all interconnected and why it matters. You need to really sit with yourself in the moments of chaos and say, okay, let me be still. Let me become objective. Where is my hope anchored? Is my hope anchored in myself and in what I can do in this moment? Is my hope anchored in truth? Is my hope anchored in the right thing? Because if it's something that doesn't build you and instead binds you, you then have the opportunity to say, okay, I need to anchor my hope in a word that will help me to see myself the right way and then to set my heart according to what I value. Because your values will determine your boundaries.

Renada [00:33:15]:
And where your heart is is based on where your values are, what you treasure. The scripture tells us that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So whatever your values are, that's where your heart is going to go. And often without you recognizing it, until you really step back to be still. So let's self check. Do you know what you value? Have you ever taken time to write out your values? And are those values showing up in your life? Is there an area where your time is being used without you recognizing that you've given it permission to take up so much space? Are you finding it difficult to be present with your family members? Are you having a hard time speaking up and self advocating? Are you drained at the end of the day because you're trying to be the solution to everybody's everything? Or keeping up appearances so that the perception of who you are is what people take away, even if you know that it's not the reality of who you can be, are you allowing yourself to be motivated by things that don't bless you? Because when we inventory ourselves and where our time, where our energy and where our resources are going, our values become evident. Do you value money more than relationships? Where your values are, your heart is because it is what your mind is full of. And mindfulness is a practice.

Renada [00:35:35]:
You have to daily give yourself effort in this area to check yourself and really see what your mind is full of. And how that is showing up. And then give yourself the time to go through the process. Be still. Anchor yourself in hope and a word, and then set your heart where your values and your boundaries are, because you deserve that. You deserve goodness and peace. And when you choose to be mindful of the things that bless you and not bind you, you are giving yourself the grace and space to receive goodness. So choose to be present today, to give yourself an opportunity to be still and to set your heart on your values.

Renada [00:36:33]:
What is true, what is right, what is lovely, what is good, what is noble, what is worthy of your energy and your time. And know that I am so proud of you for taking time to honor yourself. And I'm here praying for you. Praying for you to give yourself all of the goodness that you deserve. Because you deserve it. You were made to have it. I am championing your success and hoping that you do not forget to celebrate your wins today. Every win that you have.

Renada [00:37:16]:
If you chose to reserve your opinion, even though it would have been great to say it, I'm proud of you. If you refrained from reaching out and touching somebody because in the moment, it would have satisfied you to do it. I'm so proud of you. If you voiced what was right about you by setting a boundary, I'm proud of you. Celebrate your wins. If you took time to give yourself an opportunity to sow into yourself, I'm proud of you. Every time you take a thought captive and you reinforce your values and your boundaries and you honor them, you are being the best version of yourself. And for that, you will be proud of you, too.

Renada [00:38:08]:
You deserve to be proud of you. You got this. So make your moments matter today. Give yourself the goodness that you deserve to live in the light of truth. And don't forget to take into tomorrow the lessons of today. Be gracious, be patient, and be loving to yourself. You're doing great. Baby steps are fine.

Renada [00:38:42]:
And celebrate your wins. May the peace of yah be yours. We'll talk soon. Have a great day. Bye, y'all.