The Power of the Mind

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of Peace will be with you.”

— Philippians 4:8–9

Can we talk about the power of the mind?

I am not foreign to the idea that the mind is a powerful force to be reckoned with regarding our health — physical, spiritual, and emotional — but this truth has become an almost tangible reality over the past four weeks.

Fear is a powerful tool that can seem to take us hostage and leave us feeling like a prisoner in our own mind. This certainly has been a factor in this journey, as you can probably imagine. The initial moment of “finding a lump” sends us to a place of fear — worst-case scenarios race through your mind — especially as we have walked this last month out and come face to face with one of my worst fears: cancer.

That may seem a bit extreme to say, but honestly, I feel that fear has held me captive in some way for many years. Anytime a story of a cancer journey was mentioned — on TV, in movies, or on social media — in an act of self-preservation, I would leave the room, change the channel, or shift my mindset. I have never been able to dwell in that moment without fear overtaking my heart and causing me to race to the “what if.”

I assume it’s congruent with a fear of death, but it seems to center around this specific diagnosis. Driving down the street in front of the Joe Arrington Cancer Center always sent me to a “what if” scenario in my mind. This fear seems a bit irrational for me, given that I don’t have a personal experience that would explain it, but it has been a present companion for as long as I can remember.

All of that to say — let’s talk about the day you come face to face with one of your greatest fears. Not sure if you can identify, but that is a MOMENT. One of those “take your breath away” moments where your mind and emotions collide in a hurricane-like force that leaves you reeling.

Some takeaways from that moment: it’s “no longer an abstraction.” I am forced to decide what to do with this now. What once was a “change the subject, shift your focus, leave the room, avoid the thought at all costs” has now become a tangible, undeniable, inescapable, eye-level reality. It feels all-consuming — like an elephant sitting on my chest — and this is not sustainable. I am forced to deal with it sooner rather than later.

I would love to say that facing reality causes all fear to flee in an instant. Although that’s not the reality we’re living in, the fear has subsided significantly. Walking out a hard reality is an entirely different set of emotions and feelings. Fear may still be a lingering voice, but it no longer feels like the megaphone it once was.

I’m going to count this as a blessing and remind myself of multiple promises from the Word:

• Emmanuel — is a reality.
• Suffering is congruent with being alive — we get to choose how we walk it out.
• Healing is a promise.
• The cross is enough.
• His promises are true and faithful.

“Before we can heal, we have to give ourselves the freedom to grieve.”

“Resurrection requires both life and loss.”