Thinking about Thoughts
I've been challenged lately in several ways and in different areas of my life. Challenged to think about my thoughts. Challenged to dig down deep and discover what it is that I really think about. Challenged to discover what it is that I tell myself in my thoughts. Challenged to really understand the power my thoughts have over me and my actions. Challenged ultimately to discover what it is that I truly believe by discovering what it is that I truly think.
I know that sounds complicated. I find it to BE complicated. Let's see if I can explain it a little more. Thinking about my thoughts means this...do I really believe that food is truly fuel for my body or do I think of it as a reward for the hard day I have had? Do I really believe that God is good all the time or do I think that when I do something sinful He punishes me by remaining silent in the midst of difficulties in my life? Do I think that being healthy and physically fit are only attainable by being selfish and spending all my time at the gym? Do I really think that in my nuclear family, my needs rank the lowest and therefore when something has to give it must be something on my list of "indulgences"? When I'm angry at someone and I think "I hate you" does that really count as sin since I only thought it and didn't say it? I mean I didn't act on it, it was just a passing thought.
Does that make a little more sense? Do you understand what I'm saying? I've never really taken the time to explore and discover what's at the root of many of my thoughts. When I say at the root I mean the truths and absolutes that I base my thinking on. Bear with me here, I'm not trying to be intellectually obscure I'm just trying to communicate a complicated idea. When I have taken some time to begin exploring what I think about and why I think the way I do I have discovered that I have some "untruths" lurking at the basis of my core.
The Bible talks about how our mind determines our actions, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:5-6. Later in Romans 12:2 it says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
My response is, "Wow! How do I transform my mind?" I think the resolution to that is never ending and multi-faceted. It starts by being honest with ourselves about what we think and being willing to discover why we thing that. Then ultimately what transforms our mind is filling it with truth. Not just once in a while, but daily and often several times a day.
I know that sounds labor intensive, but think how many times we fill our mind with untruths and don't even realize it until we spend time thinking about what we believe and realize that some of it is based upon so called truth that we "picked up along the way". How often do we watch a TV commercial and ultimately believe that Tide can get grass stains out of children's white pants without leaving any trace behind? After all we've seen the commercial enough times to convince our minds that it is true. Or accept that Lucky Charms is really an acceptable breakfast for our kids because it says right there on the box that it's fortified with all the vitamins and minerals they need for the whole day - never mind the huge helping of refined sugar that they don't need for the day!
You get the point. Our minds are powerful motivators for our actions. Just spend a little time today thinking about your thoughts. Consider their roots and whether they should be trusted or not!
I know that sounds complicated. I find it to BE complicated. Let's see if I can explain it a little more. Thinking about my thoughts means this...do I really believe that food is truly fuel for my body or do I think of it as a reward for the hard day I have had? Do I really believe that God is good all the time or do I think that when I do something sinful He punishes me by remaining silent in the midst of difficulties in my life? Do I think that being healthy and physically fit are only attainable by being selfish and spending all my time at the gym? Do I really think that in my nuclear family, my needs rank the lowest and therefore when something has to give it must be something on my list of "indulgences"? When I'm angry at someone and I think "I hate you" does that really count as sin since I only thought it and didn't say it? I mean I didn't act on it, it was just a passing thought.
Does that make a little more sense? Do you understand what I'm saying? I've never really taken the time to explore and discover what's at the root of many of my thoughts. When I say at the root I mean the truths and absolutes that I base my thinking on. Bear with me here, I'm not trying to be intellectually obscure I'm just trying to communicate a complicated idea. When I have taken some time to begin exploring what I think about and why I think the way I do I have discovered that I have some "untruths" lurking at the basis of my core.
The Bible talks about how our mind determines our actions, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:5-6. Later in Romans 12:2 it says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
My response is, "Wow! How do I transform my mind?" I think the resolution to that is never ending and multi-faceted. It starts by being honest with ourselves about what we think and being willing to discover why we thing that. Then ultimately what transforms our mind is filling it with truth. Not just once in a while, but daily and often several times a day.
I know that sounds labor intensive, but think how many times we fill our mind with untruths and don't even realize it until we spend time thinking about what we believe and realize that some of it is based upon so called truth that we "picked up along the way". How often do we watch a TV commercial and ultimately believe that Tide can get grass stains out of children's white pants without leaving any trace behind? After all we've seen the commercial enough times to convince our minds that it is true. Or accept that Lucky Charms is really an acceptable breakfast for our kids because it says right there on the box that it's fortified with all the vitamins and minerals they need for the whole day - never mind the huge helping of refined sugar that they don't need for the day!
You get the point. Our minds are powerful motivators for our actions. Just spend a little time today thinking about your thoughts. Consider their roots and whether they should be trusted or not!
posted by Sniders in Africa at 9/04/2007 12:36:00 PM
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