Which Swing Thoughts are Helpful?
Collecting meaningful lessons is a joy for me! And the real delight comes from God producing the fruit through our application.
“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Philippians 4:9, KJV)
Did you catch the most important 2-letter word in there?
Do.
This encouragement to apply what we have learned is reiterated in James 1:22 (NIV).
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
We don’t have full control over emotions that arise within us, but God does grant us some control over our thoughts. Our thoughts impact our emotions and behaviors, so calling to mind God-honoring and truthful thoughts eventually helps us do what God says. The Passion Translation of Romans 12:2b says
“be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” (TPT)
As mentioned last week, a swing thought in golf is focusing on one concept to maximize the effectiveness of your swing, whereas in life, a swing thought is how you focus on one truth to enhance your effectiveness in life!
I hope these 10 swing thoughts are a way we can apply wisdom in our lives, beginning with influencing our thoughts!
Here is the list of the 10 swing thoughts I have collected over the years:
1. People over projects (succinctly stated on this podcast)
Relationships are extremely important to me and I am usually more relationally-minded than task-focused. But motherhood is an exception for me. Sometimes the demands on my time seem impossible unless I work swiftly and efficiently from sunup past sundown.
I can get caught up in striving and abandon the wisdom of ceasing.
It is vain for you to rise early, To retire late, To eat the bread of anxious labors— For He gives [blessings] to His beloved even in his sleep. (Psalm 127:2, AMP)
When I am faced with the decision to start one bonus load of laundry or listen to the full story from one of my daughters, while patiently making eye contact, this swing thought helps me choose wisely.
Don’t get me wrong, it is necessary to work and it is ok to make our kids wait a moment until we get our household tasks complete! We can just as easily drift too far in this direction and abandon our responsibilities or accidently communicate to our children that we only exist to please them.
However, this swing thought helps me in seasons when I am out of balance and in the unhealthy space of continuously prioritizing tasks over the souls right in front of me.
At the end of the day, as my eyelids get heavy, I am most gratified reflecting back on these small choices . . . the extra story read, the conversation that lingered, or the savoring of laughter that was possible because my to-do list didn’t win. See more biblical wisdom on this topic here.
2. This makes everything better.
I was on a walk with a friend and our children were playing happily up ahead. We fit in quick bursts of conversation amidst the interruptions.
She was in a season of nursing and exhaustion and she longed to be more intimate with her husband, but her mind was a current obstacle to enjoyment. If he initiated sex, her instant thought was to resist the invitation.
Through questions and verbal processing, we got to the root of it, and she discovered that connecting in an intimate way with her husband actually made everything better.
They felt closer and safer in their relationship and it put them on a positive cycle of serving each other more and overall it made them kinder with one another. (Hear other unexpected benefits from connecting sexually with our spouse as we address common questions about sex and discuss how to enjoy a healthy sex life).
The wise woman she is, she wanted to resist the urge to allow fatigue to make decisions for her that were contrary to her deeper desires.
She knew she needed to prepare mentally to replace fatigue with a greater vision. Her swing thought became “this makes everything better.”
When it was a good time to connect with her husband, this swing thought unlocked the door to deeper levels of bonding, meaning, and pleasure. All of this was made possible from a simple change to her thought process.
3. Easy —> Hard or Hard —> Easy
Either choice includes the hard part, but we get to choose our hard!
Here are a couple of examples . . .
We multiplied our family pretty quickly. Having 4 little ones in 5.5 years helped us quickly realize we needed every family member to do what they could to help out around the house.
From an early age, we trained our daughters to clean up after themselves. It wasn’t easy to consistently slow down to train and teach them these skills, but it eventually paid off!
It has made the assignment of cleaning our home so easy these past few years! We have more time to read stories in the evening or host friends for dinner because Mark and I are not the only ones cleaning the house.
Our girls can pitch in and confidently know how to tidy up the place because they have had years of practice. I think there is a level of satisfaction knowing they are part of our family team as we all work together to complete the goal.
The investment for a few years on the front end was hard, but we expect to reap benefits for a lifetime with the easy return!
On the flip side, here is an example of how I did this backwards:
During my first pregnancy, I expected to be like my mom and walk out of the hospital in my pre-pregnancy clothes with no effort required on my part. I took this as license to indulge in every unhealthy craving I had during those 9 months carrying our first baby girl.
Unfortunately, this unwise lifestyle choice left me carrying way too many extra pounds and facing a long journey ahead to get healthier.
I didn’t feel comfortable in any of my clothes and I shamed myself for being so irresponsible. I wanted to feel comfortable and gain energy and it took a looooong time and many sacrifices to get healthier. I was shocked how quickly I could add weight, but losing it in a healthy way was not so speedy.
I’ve found that taking the easy route first always leads to regret, whereas doing the hard part first results in repeated gratitude.
So, when I see an opportunity to train our children, or see a two minute job around the house that I know I shouldn’t procrastinate, this swing thought is what helps me do the work in the moment.
And I’m always grateful I did.
4. Everything in its season
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1, ESV)
I enjoy moving at a fast pace. It is exhilarating!
But some seasons call for slowing down.
This was our experience after every newborn we brought home and, on a smaller scale, when we were quarantined for a month and sick with Covid (more on that in this article).
Transitions can be tricky when we are used to operating at a fast speed and something forces us to slow down, whether that’s health, a move, a loss, or some other factor.
In those times, I encourage myself with this swing thought “everything in its season.”
On a small scale, after we return home from a trip to visit family many states away, we come home to extra loads of laundry, hours of unpacking, and a week’s worth of work to catch up on . . . all on top of sleep deprivation from a week being out of our normal routine.
It can feel daunting to return, especially when I unrealistically expect everything to get done more quickly than is reasonable or possible.
However, this swing thought proves to be true!
One week later, I am amazed at how much has been completed and how those overwhelming moments are over.
So if you find yourself not in the place you want to be today, I hope you see the truth that there will be a time to see your desires to come to fruition, possibly in a different season.
A wise mentor once reminded me, “we never reap what we sow in the same season.” Don’t lose heart on the journey!
5. Done is better than perfect.
Have you heard of the Powersheets Goal Planner? It has been so impactful in my life and I wrote about it in my article entitled My Four Resources for Intentional Living. We also dive deeper into the benefits you can glean from this resource in the podcast episode Cultivate What Matters.
Over and over this planner reminds us “Done is better than perfect.”
I have big dreams for The Savvy Sauce Podcast, and I desire to grow our team, but 3 of us were originally able to launch after a year of preparing and repeating this swing thought.
To combine a few swing thoughts, I am reminded those dreams for growth may still come true, only in a different season.
6. This is the hardest part of the day.
This is a swing thought my husband taught me. Over the years, it has been applied in various situations.
Early in marriage, we were sometimes waking up at 4am to clock in and work side-by-side (more on that on Inside Scoop on Chick-fil-A). When the alarm would buzz, Mark would share this thought with me when I didn’t want to get out of bed!
After having babies and hearing their first cry in the wee hours of the night, we would remind each other of this swing thought and it would help us push through exhaustion to rise up and care for our little ones.
Even now on a regular day, if there is a task that is looming over my head and I am procrastinating to get started, this swing thought helps me remember this is the hardest part of the day, and then it will be better!
This pairs nicely with hard —> easy to motivate me to get moving.
7. Assume the best
This is another swing thought my wise husband has modeled for me. Even when we were engaged, he observed when we assume the best of each other, our assumption is usually true.
Even more, if it is not fully true at the moment, it gives us the desire to grow and make it true!
For example, Mark almost always answers my phone calls. Even when he is in a meeting or doing something that makes it inconvenient to take the call, he faithfully answers.
There have been a few times when he wasn’t able to pick up the phone, so I had an opportunity to assume the best. I could assume he was not within close proximity of his phone and know that he would call back as soon as he saw my notification. That helped me to not take it personally.
Once when this happened, I found out later he was actually about to surprise me with a gift and he was making the purchase when I called!
Assuming the best of others brings about unexpected benefits.
8. What is the opportunity here?
I heard parenting expert, Lynne Jackson, share this and I contacted her team that day to invite them onto our podcast! You can look forward to hearing from members of the Connected Families Team soon on The Savvy Sauce Podcast!
This swing thought helps me reframe my day-to-day parenting dilemmas.
Instead of getting irritated when my children aren’t obeying or honoring one another, I can shift my perspective as quickly as I can ask this question.
It moves me from a defeatist mindset into a proactive, healthier mindset.
Perspective makes all the difference. I can be way too zoomed in when I am parenting day after day, so this swing thought helps me pull back and take a broader look at our situation.
It benefits my children and it benefits me!
9. First things first
I have said this to myself for years, and now I find myself saying this out loud to our kids.
I guess that is a side benefit of all these swing thoughts: they are small enough to easily use as tools we can pass to our children.
We can use these swing thoughts to train them with ways to practically apply wisdom. And that wisdom begins with thoughts we proactively put in our heads.
This particular swing thought helps me maintain focus and resist the pull to swerve off-track.
When I am up against a deadline, it may be more attractive to check something mindless off my list, but that is not living intentionally. I repeat this swing thought and it reminds me to stay focused on what is in front of me.
Staying focused on this one higher priority reflects a greater spiritual truth and is summed up in my life verse:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33, KJV)
When we seek the right things first, everything else falls beautifully into place, even better than we could have arranged it ourselves!
10. I get to do this!!!
All these swing thoughts expand our perspective. Sometimes I like to ask myself:
What is the best possible way I could view this situation? The response can be summed up in this swing thought:
I get to do this!
On difficult parenting days, mornings I don’t want to work out, or when redundant house labor requires my action again (prepping more food, doing more laundry, you know . . . the jobs that are cyclical, rather than linear because they never come to an end), this paradigm shift catapults me into a grateful space:
I get to do this!
It is a prolific thought. It births other ideas for what all I am thankful for: thank you, Lord, that I have children to parent! Thank you, Lord, that I can move my body. Thank you, Lord, that I have a household to love and serve. Thank you, Lord!
And any swing thought that ends in praise for my Maker is a fruitful one!
I look forward to doing this alongside you, my friends! Let’s incorporate fruitful swing thoughts into our days and extol the Lord together!
Best,
Laura
About The Savvy Sauce
Practical chats for intentional living
A faith-based podcast and resources to help you grow closer to Jesus and others. Expect encouragement, surprises, and hope here. Each episode offers lively interviews with fascinating guests such as therapists, authors, non-profit founders, and business leaders.
They share their best practices and savvy tips we can replicate to make our daily life and relationships more enjoyable!
Related Articles
