Make the effort today to filter what you say to others and to yourself. Today, speak about what is beautiful, valuable, praiseworthy and awesome. Train your mind with your mouth. Start right now.Words Matter.

Think 4:8 in 2008! 

Fast forward to Sunday morning…I receive an early morning call on my mobile phone from Delta notifying me that my flight home had been cancelled and that I had been rebooked on a flight six and a half hours later. I would miss my two older sons lacrosse games and not arrive back home until after dinner time. Once I realized there were no other alternatives and this situation was a fact, I started to make the most of it.
 

Imagine what you could catch up on if you suddenly had an extra 6 or 7 hours available…
 

I later learned the flight was cancelled because the pilots and crew had reached their maximum consecutive work hours limit to safely execute the flight. That suited me fine, to say the least, as I have no personal goals that involve testing the endurance and alertness of commercial pilots flying planes on which I am a passenger.
 

Fast forward Sunday late afternoon…After arriving at the airport I learned the rescheduled flight had been delayed another hour or so and I’d be getting back even later. As the announcement was made, you guessed it. More grumbling. “Wouldn’t you know it…Just my luck…Of course there’s NO WAY I’ll make my connection…and on and on.”
 

I was ready to be home as well, but honestly, the thought that kept going through my mind was this, “ This is so unusual for me. Normally my travel plans go off without a hitch. I can’t remember the last time I was stuck for very long in an airport.”
 

The words we use are vitally important. When you say something like, “wouldn’t you know it,” you’re revealing and reaffirming mediocre expectations. It obviously means that you were not surprised because “these types of things have a tendency to happen to you often.” Think about it. You may say, “it’s just a figure of speech” and you’re right. It is a figure of speech that represents your outlook on life and expectations in general.
 

With our words we train our minds to look for the gunk or the gift. And what we seek we usually find. And this mindset is, no doubt, contagious. What about you? When you’re disappointed or inconvenienced a little, what is your first reaction? What do you tell yourself about your circumstances?
 

When you think 4:8, you look for the good, the gift, and the opportunity even in and especially in situations that frustrate the average 8:4 person. When you practice 4:8 thinking, you’re not claiming there is no issue. What you’re claiming is a solution, a solution that blesses you and others.
 

Think 4:8 in 2008!
 

I believe that the inner peace that spreads throughout your entire life begins with daily quiet time with God.  If you’re going to “seek first the kingdom of God, ” as we’re taught in the sixth chapter of Matthew, then it only makes good sense to schedule this appointment with your Creator first thing in the morning.  After all, could there be a more important appointment all day long?  If you’re ever tempted to say that you just don’t have time for this solitude with God, just ask yourself bluntly, “What could I possibly do with that time that would bring me any greater benefit?” 
 

Put first things first and your whole day will be securely built upon the rock of God’s promises and you’ll find it much more natural to think about what is lovely, pure, true, gracious, awesome and worthy of praise.
It’s 2008…Think 4:8!

Without a precise target to shoot for, your thought life will bounce unpredictably back and forth like a racket ball, making it almost impossible to live to the standards of The 4:8 Principle.  With clear goals you make important decisions in advance - avoiding the natural human tendency to drift onto the world’s agenda.
Set huge goals and Think 4:8 in 2008!