Another way of asking this question might be – what do you think about? Or what do you focus on? Psychologists have documented some of the benefits of regular meditation, such as clearing the mind, reducing anxiety, increasing calmness, and so on. Some individuals will focus on a word or a phrase and perhaps repeat it over and over. Some examples of this would be: “I am not defined by one experience;” “I am capable;” or “Love the life you have.”
Now there is nothing wrong with focusing on the fact that we are capable or reminding ourselves that one experience doesn’t define us. If these help to reduce anxiety and stress, they can be worthwhile. But what if we could have more – much more?
King David wrote about the benefits of meditation in Psalm 1. However, his focus is much broader than a word or a mantra. He says that the person who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it consistently, will have reduced anxiety? No. He says it will uproot and change his or her life. Listen to his words – the person who meditates on God’s words, “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” In other words, the man or woman that chooses to focus on something bigger than their own abilities, can become like an evergreen tree that produces fruit and prospers because of that.
There may be occasions when I need to remember that “I am capable,” but my anxiety is even more reduced when I focus on how much more capable is the God of the Universe!