I was scrolling through social media when a post caught my attention: “You are not responsible for your first thought. You are, however, responsible for your second thought and your first action.” Because it was social media, I paid attention for about 3.4 seconds and scrolled on. Apparently, the concept stuck with me because here I am, a few weeks later, still mulling it over.

In psychological terms, this is called reframing. You recognize that your first thought might not be helpful, so you challenge it and replace it with a more positive, balanced second thought. Psychology Today says that when we reframe, “we are less likely to be possessed by ongoing moods of pessimism, hopelessness, or resentment. Our prevailing attitude becomes one that is more optimistic.”

A scene from the movie Inside Out 2 highlights this idea of reframing. Riley (the main character) is wrestling with her individual emotions, which are also characters. Anxiety sends doom-filled thoughts to Riley about her hockey skills. Joy comes in to fight Anxiety and sends positive thoughts back.

Anxiety: “What if Riley is better than Val, and then Val hates her?”

Joy: “Or … What if Riley is better than Val, and then Val respects her?”

Anxiety: “What if Riley is so bad that she has to give up hockey forever?”

Joy: “What if Riley does so well that the coach cries and the Olympics call and she rallies a weary nation to victory?”

OK, so maybe that last one is a little silly, but how do we reframe from a Christian perspective? We realize that because of Jesus (who rallied and leads us to eternal victory), God fully accepts us and sees us as holy. However, because we still sin, we sometimes can’t control that first thought. That’s when we take the advice of a church leader named Paul who lived two thousand years ago. He tells us how to reframe: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

So … consider your first thought. If it goes against what God says, stomp on it, destroy it, lock it up—and conform your thoughts to God’s thoughts. Then take your first action—and don’t overthink it. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Simply look for the opportunities today that God has prepared for you to love and to serve others with your unique gifts in your unique situation.

P.S. I realized there’s a twist on this whole first thought/second thought idea. The Bible says that believers “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), so sometimes your first thought is ruled by the Holy Spirit and is a great one. After all, the first thought might be to help a neighbor shovel her sidewalk or sit with your friend in a waiting room or let an acquaintance know you just prayed for him.

But your second thought might tempt you to think, “Someone else can do that,” “I’m busy,” or “That might be awkward.” In this case, demolish that second thought, and then be responsible for your first action. Serve the people God put around you, and show them God’s love by patiently and gently loving them.

For more ideas on reframing, read “Talk to yourself. Don’t listen to yourself” and “wRESTle.” Also, check out the series Trends vs. Truth, where Pastor Mike reframes common phrases by comparing them to what God says.

Linda Buxa is a writer and editor who wrote a devotional titled How to Fight Anxiety With Joy, so she thinks it’s pretty convenient that in Inside Out 2, Joy literally fights Anxiety.