A Healthy Mind 🧠💡
21st January – 03rd February 2020
“Think” definition :
•directing one’s mind towards someone or something; use one’s mind actively to form connected ideas.
•>Being thoughtful of something is generating ideas about that particular thing by trying to connect things so as to have more understanding about it. Similarly, being thoughtful of someone is trying to gather ideas so as to understand a person’s position for knowing how to act with the person (what to do to/for/with the person). We are generally thoughtful of the people/things we love the most and of those that challenge us the most (enemies, family, friends, difficulties, future, past etc.)
“Mindful” definition :
•Being aware of something
•Giving attention to something/someone
•Careful not to forget about something
•Being cautious or vigilant
•>Being mindful of something or someone is acting with respect to that thing/person in particular. It is acting cautiously and with vigilance in accordance with a specific idea/personality. What you are mindful of determines the kind of mindset you have.
Being mindful of Christ is acting with awareness of His presence in your life. It is acting within His boundaries/limits. It is thinking about what could be His opinion towards what you want to do/say before you do/say it. It is to forecast the impact your thoughts/actions could have on your relationship with Christ.
Being mindful of Jesus Christ is fearing Him. It is seeking His delight in everything you do.
God calls us to be mindful of Him, not thoughtful. I used to think that being mindful of Jesus was thinking about Him all day long but that’s wrong. The thinking process involves imagination, developing assumptions and ideas about a thing/person you’re thinking about. But the fact is, God is too big for our small minds and He is above our thinking capacities.
Our minds are limited to what we have seen/heard. Thinking about God could lead us to assign some human behaviours to Him which is wrong because God is not human (Numbers 23:19), and moreover it can literally drive us crazy ’cause that’s too much greatness for a small 1.5kg piece of brain 😅. God is above everything. We cannot understand God so it’s of no use to think about Him. We shouldn’t think about Him.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV
And most importantly, God is with us 24/7. Most precisely, for those who are saved, He is in us. Why think about someone who is within you? You rather look at Him, admire His Glory, contemplate His beauty, give ear to His voice. You worship Him, bow before Him and express your love to Him. That’s what He wants for us.
God calls us to be mindful of Him.
The word “mindful” can be split into two : ‘mind’ and ‘ful or full’.
The mind by definition is :
•the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
•a person’s ability to think and reason; the intellect.
The mind actually controls the thoughts.
God, Himself, is mindful of us (Psalm 8:4). This means that whatever He does, He does it with respect to us, forecasting the impact of His deeds on every human being. This is why in Romans 8:28 the Bible says, “And we know that *in all things* God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”.
He shows us His love by caring about each and everyone of us. So as lovers of Christ, we ought to be mindful of Him as well. Love is a two ways relationship.
We should ask ourselves : if God is mindful of us and we are mindful of ourselves, who will be mindful of God?
As beloved children, we have to love our Father and give Him the love that He deserves.
So, when God says He wants us to be mindful of Him, He means He wants to be put at the centre of our minds. He wants to be in full and total control of our thoughts. He wants to be our “ability” of thinking. He wants every thought we have to be generated from Him. Briefly, He wants us to think in accordance with His Word and Will.
“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.”
Philippians 4:8 NIV
In everything we think of doing or saying, we should check first what God’s Word says about it and ask ourselves if that’s God’s will for us. And this is the best thing that can ever happen to a human being because it preserves the mind.
God wants us to think in His boundaries/limits for *our own good*. This is simply because when we think about something or someone without having a limit/boundary to stop us on time, we generally go too far. And that’s when we can actually talk of *overthinking*.
Overthinking causes mental illness because it takes you further than your actual situation is taking you. The mind is a powerful tool and it can bring about hundreds of scenarios for one given situation, being good or bad. With the help of imagination, exaggeration sinks in leading to stress or over-excitement and so on.
And unfortunately, many people die of this. Stress, Anxiety, Fear, Depression, Mental Breakdown, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and so much more. These are results of having no boundaries while thinking or imagining.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
God loves us and wants to protect our minds from breaking down by keeping them in Jesus; by keeping them in _*His Word*_ ❤️. God wants to heal you from the anxiety and stress you’ve been through all your life and restore you to the fullness of His Truth.
Being mindful of Christ will protect you from the littlest of all stress. It will bring total peace in you and you will always be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and not be desperate whatever comes.
Being mindful of Christ will guard you from committing sins. It will build a strong fear of the Lord in you. It will rise huge walls and barriers that in everything that you’ll do, you’ll think twice before jumping the wall. It will teach you to walk in God’s will and hence find true and everlasting happiness.
Your mind needs security. You won’t escape by listening to music until your ears burst or by practicing technics like Yoga or whatever meditation you want. Security and Peace for your mind are in Christ alone. Don’t wait until it’s too late, don’t let yourself sink in a torrent of endless thoughts.
Give your mind to Christ through prayer, consecrate your thoughts to God’s will, let Him free and renew your mind and His peace that transcends all understanding will protect your beautiful brain from breaking down 🤎.
Be healthy and stay blessed!
~ Definition of concepts found in different online dictionaries like Cambridge Dictionary.
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