"A Scary Place"

 

“A Scary Place”

 

Think for a moment of the scariest place you remember. Was it a twisting mountain road with no guardrails? How about a dark alley in an unsavory part of town at midnight? Maybe a haunted house at an amusement park? Or a horror movie in a theater (a place you wouldn’t find me)? The common thread in the above scenarios is that we made a choice that put us in these circumstances, be it intentional or unintentional.

In the Our Daily Bread devotional article for January 14 the closing prayer says, “Dear God, my mind can be a scary place, and I fear so much. Please give me Your peace.” (Emphasis added). I’d never thought of my mind in such a way but as I reflected on this description I realized how true it is. Have you ever had your mind drift then been horrified at where it ended up? (I know I have.) What then? I believe the first step is to acknowledge our sin and receive God’s forgiveness (“{The one} who conceals {his or her} sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”—Proverbs 28:13). Then (something I’ve said before but it bears repeating) establish a “think list” based on Philippians 4:8: The things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. By diverting our thinking from the things that drag us down to those that build us up we can get rid of the scary stuff that hinders our growth and service. And it reflects the peace God gives us as we pray with thankfulness (see Philippians 4:6-7).

In 1 Corinthians 2:16 Paul assures us as God’s people that “…we have the mind of Christ.” Or, in the Phillips paraphrase, “…we have the very thoughts of Christ.” So we have the capacity to think as Jesus did (and does). And as we do this in the power of the Holy Spirit our minds can be transformed from a scary to a strong place (see the following posting). That’s where I want to be and I pray you do too.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan