MIND
MATTER
(Get it? Mind OVER matter?)
I had a thought today. Before it dies of loneliness I decided to share it with you.
It began on facebook when my friend posted:
for a little while. He said, "Mom?" I said, "Yes, Lord?" Then we cracked up laughing ...
My mind soared back to a time when I had a young son. Kent was watching TV when the phone interrupted him. He absent-mindedly answered, "Dear Heavenly Father. . ." Flabbergasted by his own words, he dropped the receiver and dove under the afghan, hiding.Laughing, I rescued the receiver (and Kent) and heard my sister-in-law, Gwen, cracking up on the other end of the phone. She finally said, "Well, that's top billing for me but at least his mind is in the right place."
Mind. That was my thought today. Minds do a lot of things. Minds blank. Minds concentrate. Minds wander. Minds flash. Minds focus. We speak our mind. Sometimes we lose our minds! And others are out of their ever lovin' minds! Rev. Randy Cox used to pray before preaching, "Lord, gird up the loins of our minds." That's KJV talk for, "Pay attention!"
Rebecca and Kent misspoke but actually gave us a life lesson. Out of our minds or hearts our mouths often speak. God was on their minds. I wonder if we can say the same day by day? It bothers me to hear God's name used in vain. Even the abbreviated, popular acronym "OMG" often comes from Christians without thinking. Last time I looked not using God's name in vain was still one of the ten commandments. They're commandments, not suggestions.
Muse. Minds muse or think. Amusement literally means not thinking. While our minds need rest there's also the aspect of bringing those thoughts under control before spoken.
I see blogs sites using that word mind. A Piece of My Mind. Ramblings of My Mind. Folks share their thoughts. Maybe someone should start one called Mind Your Manners or Mind Your Own Business.
While OUR minds or thoughts need to focus on God, the mind-blower is that we are on God's mind. His thoughts are daily on us. The omniscient (all knowing) God of the universe thinks about me, knows my name, plans good for me every day.
How can I NOT center my thoughts, my prayers, my MIND on Him? Taking my cue from Kent and Rebecca, all I can and should say is
Dear Heavenly Father, yes, Lord.
Rebecca Bentley Hall wrote:
ReplyDeleteLOVE, LOVE, LOVED it ... especially the last part:
"How can I NOT center my thoughts, my prayers, my MIND on Him? Taking my cue from Kent and Rebecca, all I can and should say is
Dear Heavenly Father, yes, Lord." ... this last part is priceless ...
_____
I'm so blessed, Kathy ... thank you for sharing this. We have been in rehearsals for the play "Jesus!" for 2 months and we opened the story tonight (it's more than "a show" ... I just can't call it that ... it's God's story). So, I *have* had the Lord on my mind a great deal. The night of this status update came after dress rehearsal ... we were there for eight hours. I pray that I can always be mindful of our God ... to make decisions as he would, to react as he would, to love as he does, and to be willing to pick up my cross everyday and follow him. Bless you, friend ... hey, maybe one day I'll actually get to meet you! :)
Ginger Riley wrote via fb:
ReplyDeleteDearest Kathy,
I cannot even find the right words that would express how much your blogs mean to me. It seems like the days that I am feeling low, sad, lonesome (for my deceased best friend), things are not as I would like them to be, YOU seem to have the perfect articles. Thank you for sharing your time with us/me. They are heartwarming, enlightening, and a pleasure.
Sincerely,
Ginger
Mirial Gainer (friend and missionary in Japan) wrote:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laughs when I need them and the words of wisdom that are more needed than the laughs. Sure do miss you and Doug.
A good one!
ReplyDelete