When I was in 5th or 6th grade, I was a “safety” at East Elementary School. We went through special training and then we were assigned to help kids cross the streets on the way to and from school.
We wore bright orange belts and enjoyed a special degree of respect from the little kids who waited behind our outstretched arms until we determined that it was safe to cross. Then we would step to the side, hold one arm out toward the street, and motion them forward by swinging the other arm while we chanted “Walk” and watched as they made their way to the other side of the street.
We also had the authority to “report” kids who disobeyed our directions or did unforgivable things like walking on the grass.
One day our “safety” group walked down the steps and headed to the intersection of Burlingame and 36th Street. A couple of us decided to take a short cut, until we heard another kid warn, “Hey! Practice what you preach!”
Sure enough, we were walking on the grass. How could we tell younger kids not to do that and then do it ourselves? Especially at that time in my life, it made a big impact on me (oh, the guilt!).
I thought of it again this week because I’ve been wrestling with my emotions.
I’ve wanted to wallow in negative thoughts and bad habits that are not contributing to my health and happiness.
When I got pretty deep in my distress, my old “safety” experience came back to me and I thought: “Practice what you preach.”
What would I tell someone who was feeling the way I was?
Write down your thoughts. Recognize the ones that are negative or lies and replace them with positive thoughts and truth from the Bible.
Show yourself some grace. Take a break and do something nice for yourself instead of focusing on every single responsibility you have and stressing about it.
Talk to someone about how you’re feeling. Feeling supported could help you get to a better place emotionally.
I did some of those things once in a while, but most of the week I let the negative thoughts run amok in my mind.
It’s time to stretch out my arms and say, “Stop!”
It’s time to look around, identify the dangers, and wait until the coast is clear.
Then I can point ahead, motion my thoughts forward, and chant “Walk” as I choose safe paths of thinking.
Whether it’s mental health or some other area of our lives, let’s be careful to always practice what we preach.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 NIV)
Do you say one thing and do another? How can focusing on God help you to live out what you say you believe?
