Oh, the Thinks I Think

Oh, the thinks you can think! 
Do you remember this rhyme?
It's a Seuss poem that 
Celebrates the wonders of your mind!

I've thought quite a bit about thinking this week. I'm not sure whether it was the heavy amounts of rain or the change in seasons or the stage of my pregnancy, but my mind has been a whirling dervish of thoughts lately.

I can't seem to shut them off. I think about everything. A list for your amusement (and maybe even your commiseration):

• did I feed the cats?

• is the garage going to flood?

• we need to spray the yard for bugs.

• I don't read enough to my four-year-old

• I wonder if I need a better quality pre-natal vitamin?

• should I change my Facebook privacy settings?

• I need to plant a garden!

• does this mole look funny?

• my house is too cluttered...

• I must immediately rid my family of half of our possessions!

• we need to have a cook out for the twentysomethings in our church.

• how long do lemons keep?

• let's paint the house white!

• I hope so-and-so doesn't think I'm mad at them.

• I can't remember the last time I cleaned my Keurig...

• Is my Keurig slowly killing me?

You get the gist. A whirling dervish. A tornado of constant thought and activity leaving trails of debris and cluttering my mind.

Indeed, I may have the entire cast of Seussical: the Musical performing a litany of worrisome songs up in my brain:

Clean the coffee maker

You silly oomph!

Germs are slowly growing

and killing you, to boot!

I'm fairly certain this is not the freedom my Jesus wants me to live in. In fact, He has commanded me to not worry. To not ask these silly questions, but to seek after God and His Kingdom. 

"Just chill," says Jesus Christ, Savior of the World.

How do I do this? Chilling is hard for me, Lord. You have made my incredible brain. You know how it is wired. You know it so well, in fact, that you knew to tell me while you were walking on the earth  to stop worrying and to settle down.

Like I said, I've been thinking about thinking. And I think I have found a way to help us calm the storms of our mind. Lean in now, you don't want to miss this.

Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your mind on things above, not on earthy things."

Scripture is giving a clear command of what "thinks" should be taking up space in our brains, things above. Before we get into what these things are, let's focus on the second part of that verse. Earthly things. 

I bet you can help me add to this list of what is considered an earthly thing. In no particular order: wealth, power, success, fame, ALL THE THINGS I COULD BUY, impressing people, pleasing people...

I could go on. Maybe some of these things don't seem sinful...and you'd be right. For example, Disney World is my jam. I would go to Disney World twice a year if I could. It is truly the most magical place on earth. I see the gates with Mickey welcoming me and my heart starts to sing a little bit. 

But guess what? The House of Mouse is totally an earthly thing. So what do all these earthly things have in common?

They don't matter. Hear me when I say this....They. Don't. Matter. 

This is why Paul tells us in Colossians to not put our focus on these fleeting, momentary fillers that don't make one bit of difference in the Kingdom of Heaven.

So if these are the things I shouldn't be focusing on, what are these things above that should garner all my attention?

Heavenly things, darling. Eternal things. The things that actually do make bits of difference in the Kingdom of Heaven. Things like loving others, the solid rock truth of Jesus, praise and thankfulness to a living God, the spreading of the gospel of Jesus, generosity, faithfulness, perseverance, and hope. Wonder that such a great and mighty God cares about the thoughts in my head.

Heavenly things sound, well, heavenly, don't they?

Your beautiful brain was made to think about wonderful things, good things, eternal things. 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

Philippians 4:8

I hope you'll join me in this new way of thinking. I hope that when the tornado of worrisome activities start to circulate in your mind you'll stop and give several minutes of focused attention on the things that actually matter. 

Oh, the thinks I was made to think:

Bright things! New things!

Good things! True things!

I shall turn my worries into praise

I won't waste my thoughts,

Not for one single day!

The next time our brains are eager to clutter themselves with earthly things, will you join me in saying no? Let's make an effort to not waste time with things that just don't matter. Let's set our minds on things that do.

What I Gave Up for Lent (And It's Not What You Think)

Jesus has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him...

Colossians 1:22

The beginning of a new school year was approaching and I had just been informed of the very challenging student whose name was on my roster. This kid's problems ran the physical and emotional and academic gamut and I was certainly not up to the task of fixing it. 

So I prayed. I walked to their desk and sat in their chair. And I prayed that God would heal it all.

By the year's end I would return to the same spot, and instead of prayers of supplication for this student's healing, I only offered prayers of thanks. Because God did it. 

God healed that child. 

Wide-eyed and in disbelief, I said aloud to the cement walls and florescent lights, "He did it." And then to God, You actually did this thing. That was BIG. An out-right miracle. Why did you do it?

And then came the answer, so simple and so clear:

Because you asked Me to, beloved.

Because I had asked Him to.

Why do I so easily forget that The God of Angel Armies is on my side? Why do I so easily forget His great love for me and His willingness to fight on my behalf?

It's because, even after all these years of this Jesus-Walk of mine, I still listen to the lies. The lies that make me feel less than and not good enough. The lies that Satan whispers in my ear:

You're not good enough for Him.

You don't do things well enough for Him.

You're not worthy to approach Him.

(Never doubt for a second I don't appreciate the irony of God's enemy saying such things about Him to me.)

I realize, even with all of my grace talk for others, I'm still trying to be good enough for God. I'm still striving for perfection and beating myself up for when (surprise!) I don't achieve it.

So with these thoughts in mind, I gave something up for Lent this year:

I'm giving up not being good enough. I'm giving up seeing God as Someone who is angry with me when I fail at perfection. 

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Romans 8:31-34

Maybe you need this reminder, too. The reminder that your perfection isn't needed. That God isn't mad at you. That God has chosen you for His own. Romans 8:33 declares that no one can accuse us. In fact, it says who would dare accuse us? Do we realize this includes our own selves? 

I'm so tired of accusing myself before my Father. Because when I accuse myself I'm saying that I believe the blood price Jesus paid on the cross isn't good enough. 

Instead, when I approach His throne, I will stand on Colossians 1:22. I will remind myself that Jesus paid for my imperfections and that when I stand before my Father He sees me as holy and blameless. Holy and blameless, y'all. Not no-good and not-good-enough. To Him, cloaked in the righteousness of Jesus, I am worthy. 

We would do well to remember who we are, dear ones. We are the beloved daughters of God, who hears us and keeps us and adores us. Listen to me as I claim these truths over you:

Dear One, God is for you, not against you. He didn't spare His own Son's life for you, so He will not spare any other good thing when it comes to you. No one can accuse you before God because He has made you His own. You have right standing with Him. No one can condemn you. Because Jesus Christ died for you and was raised back to life for you. In this very moment He sits at God's right hand, a place of high honor, and speaks to God on your behalf. 

If that doesn't make you worthy, well, by golly, I don't know what does. 

This Lent, let's practice self-denial. Let's deny ourselves the the feelings of shame and guilt. And instead let's body approach our Father, like the holy and blameless children we are.