In other news, there's a super familiar scripture that God is highlighting for me today so I thought I'd share it. It's Philippians 4:8 and it goes a little something like this: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
I've been going over this scripture with our 9 year old as we've been talking about training our minds to push out the negative thoughts; but it's not until yesterday that something jumped out at me, kinda like my straw did today.
Whatever is true. That's what hit me. Whatever is true. Now you would read that and automatically think it pertains to telling the truth, or not believing a lie...and while yes, I'm sure that's part of the intent of the scripture, I'm looking at it a little different today. With my right eye. On account of my straw debacle.
Have you ever spent time allowing your mind to wander in a daydream or a fantasy of sorts? You know what I mean, single gals, you daydream about meeting the right guy. You plan what he will look like, you plan out your entire first date, you plan out what you will wear (and always in your daydream you are at least 15 pounds lighter and you have impeccable hair.)
Or maybe you fantasize about a dream job you so desperately want and so you envision every detail about getting the job and what you will do with the extra income and how you will dress (see, it always goes to our looks right) and different details surrounding that.
Perhaps there's a hard conversation that needs to take place between you and someone else, and so you play up the conversation in your mind, blowing it way out of proportion, in turn keeping you from having the conversation for fear of it going the way you've imagined.
Maybe you dream about the call God has on your life, but you let your own spin on that call get in the way and so you begin to daydream about what you *think* God would have you do. Sure, it's God centered, you want to serve Him and you are ready to answer His call, but you plan the entire road leading to that call, fixing all the details that God is surely to leave out...
Anyone? Perhaps I'm speaking to myself here. My mind can be consumed, and I mean consumed with stuff that's not currently true. I'll daydream that I have unlimited funds to re-decorate my house (I absolutely love home decor and study it often) and I'll spend hours in my head doing just that, re-designing my home from front to back. Now is that necessarily wrong? No, probably not. The love for decor was given to me by God, I believe that. But do I need to waste precious mind space re-designing my house with my imaginary thousands? Probably not.
Or perhaps you're like me and spend way too much time analyzing conversations, did I say this right, did I do this right. Should I have said this, should I have not said this. Should I jam a straw up my nose again?
Our imaginary list can go on and on until we are blue in the face, at least mine can. Listen, our minds as women can be playgrounds. We ladies have the ability to allow our minds to run wild with imagination! Why do you think Soap Operas and Fantasy Novels are such a hit among women? Because we are emotional beings, created with such an intensity inside of us, an intensity longing for purpose. God made us to be emotional, there is nothing wrong with it, but if we are not careful, what we do with our emotion has the ability to leave us longing for more in the playground of our mind.
When we over indulge with our imagination, we forego allowing God to do what He aims to do in our lives. When we daydream about a particular thing, it becomes so commonplace in our minds, that we remove the ability to be excited about the new stuff God does. Does that make sense? For example, God has called us to this exciting and phenomenal life right? He has so many twists and turns that He longs to take us on as we journey through this vapor called life. However, when we allow our imagination to overtake us, we put God in the box of our limited imagination. So when God moves in our life, we don't know how to adjust to His moving if it's not within the parameters of how we expected Him to move.
Whatever things are true.
If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Take some time to think about God's goodness. Thank Him that He didn't give you what you imagined Him giving you! I sure do that. I'm thankful God didn't fulfill things I daydreamed about years ago; in fact, He went above and beyond anything I could ever hope, dream or imagine for. He's good like that. Has God done anything excellent for you lately? Think about that! Has He done anything you can praise Him for? Oh I'm sure He has! Think about that. I find myself thanking God often for the simple things we take for granted. I'll thank Him for running water. I'll thank Him for heat, for food, for clothes. Or get a little more intense with your thanks and ponder your redemption. Think about His mercy to lift us out of the miry clay. Think about His great love for you and for me. Think about those things...
When we really accept the challenge given to us in this scripture, we ultimately leave room for God to move on a level that's not limited by our imagination. When we literally think about the things we're being encouraged to think about in Philippians 4:8, then God is able to speak to us in His sweet and precious voice and we are able to hear it. Why? Because our minds are not cluttered, they are not full of worry or over analyzation or wishful thinking.
My challenge to you and ultimately to myself is this, if it's not happening right now in our lives, don't waste precious mind space over it. Sure its ok to dream, of course! God wants us to live in a place of expectancy for our direction. He gave us our imagination so that we would have the ability to run with the dreams that He puts in our hearts. But the danger of the playground is this: when we allow our imagination to camp in a place God is not intending it to camp, we quickly deaden our spiritual senses. There. That's really all I needed to say I guess! Don't park your mind on something that's not true. And be careful of straws. Aaaaaaaaand scene.
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