You'll Get Through This by Max Lucado
Week 5: Chapter 4 — Thinking About Your Thoughts
Read Chapter 4 of You'll Get Through This. Primary Scripture: Genesis 40; Philippians 4:8.
Previewing Week 5 of You'll Get Through This
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 13-week guide when you’re ready.
Lucado turns our attention inward in this chapter, arguing that what we dwell on in the pit shapes whether we sink deeper or begin to climb — and Joseph's example offers a surprising model of mental faithfulness.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Lucado draws on Philippians 4:8 — the call to think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable — to argue that managing our thought life is a spiritual discipline, not just a psychological technique. Do you think of what you dwell on as a matter of faithfulness? Why or why not?
2.In prison, Joseph encounters the cupbearer and the baker, interprets their dreams, and asks the cupbearer to remember him. This is a small act of hope in a hopeless place. Lucado suggests that choosing to engage, serve, and hope — rather than withdrawing — is itself a form of mental and spiritual health. Where are you tempted to withdraw or disengage in your current season?
3.Lucado warns against what he calls the 'cemetery of thinking' — rehearsing past wounds, nursing bitterness, and replaying betrayals until they define us. What thoughts do you find yourself returning to again and again when you are hurting? Are they life-giving or life-draining?