This morning I opened the refrigerator to get my fourteen year old pup's "snack" out of the refrigerator; a package of lunch meat I had bought. Problem was it was not where I last placed it. I looked and discovered it in my husband's stash in the bottom bin of the refrigerator. It was sitting right there on top of other lunch meat he had bought that was identical to the package I had bought Angel. I knew it was Angel's because the top, from the moment I opened it, would not seal back up. Clearly he was under the impression that "someone" was dipping into his stash, seeing the package NOT where he last placed it. All evidence seemed to point that direction, did it not? But fact was things were not as they appeared to be. And let's be honest, in life, they usually aren't!
There is that timeless, I believe birthed in middle school, saying, "If you assume, you make an ___ out of u and me." You would be the exception to the rule if you had not heard that expression until now or tasted its bitter fruit of truth. The point is we have ALL been there; thinking something we just knew to be true turning out to be false.
God has spent the last decade endlessly, tirelessly tutoring me in the "process of thought". Please note I did not say simply say thought life. I intentionally used the phrase process of thought because He has indeed shown me in painful, yet effective, detail how one's thoughts become reality ....listen up!....EVEN WHEN THOSE THOUGHTS ARE FALSE! Please reread that and take a moment to really stare down those last six words.
The natural man operates from a paradigm that if he thinks a thing, that thing is automatically fact and therefore true.
The rebirthed-in-Christ-man knows just how far from true that paradigm is and sets a daily course to guard absolutely every thought. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Is it exhausting? Absolutely! But I can tell you that as you do it, you do build up a stamina for it.
Understand this: EVERY Christian has a call on their life the enemy absolutely does not want to see come to be, and he sets OUT DAILY to derail that call and the ONLY WAY he can do that is in your MIND.
Zig Ziglar was an amazingly optimistic man, who by default of that optimism coupled to his unabashed faith in God became very successful. However, I am of the strong opinion it is his character ...his thought life... that is the main thing most remembered and revered today. He clearly vigilantly guarded his mind-field.
I saw one of his quotes this morning that began with "Today be thankful and remember how rich you are...." and he was not talking materialistically!
In math, ANY number times zero equals ZERO. Think on this: if you were to list let's say twenty five blessings, but just couldn't restrain yourself and listed even one "don't have", listing the "zero" effectually multiplies its presence and thus effectually yields a ZERO in the psyche; a complete feeling of lack.
It was said of Ronald Reagan's father:
"Jack had a dark side. He tended to be cynical, and his cynicism pained his son, who flinched at the sourness of it. The boy wanted a father who was idealistic, in part because it would have made it easier for him to be what he was, which was hopeful.(...) Ronald Reagan never developed an affinity for pessimists, and the defeats they seemed to summon." (From "When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan" / underlying is mine)
Today, I want to challenge you: Be ever vigilant concerning your mind-field. The enemy will absolutely be about his business, planting all manner of pessimistic seeds among your field. He has bags and bags of those nasty seeds! But you MUST NOT permit them to take root in your field!
Exercise --- with great effort if needs be, particularly if you are just beginning to literally workout your thoughts --- a heart of gratitude and a resting in God, His ability, His plan, and His timing. ♡
Encouraging words indeed..
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting!