Read Mark 7:14-23
Two men, both seriously ill, shared a hospital room. One man had to lie flat on his back, never getting up for anything. The other was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each day to help drain the fluid from his lungs. The two talked for hours. They spoke of their families, their homes, their jobs. Every afternoon while sitting up in bed, one friend would describe to the other everything he saw outside the window. The other man began to live for those one-hour periods where he could close his eyes and fill his mind with the color and beauty outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young sweethearts walked arm-in-arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. As the man by the window described this in exquisite detail, his friend forgot about his illness.
One morning, when the day nurse arrived, she discovered the man by the window had died peacefully in his sleep. Sadly, she called the attendants to take him away. After a while, his friend asked and was moved next to the window. Finally alone, he prepared to, with his own eyes, take his first look. The man painfully propped himself up on one elbow, ready to drink in the beauty of outside. He could hardly wait. But what he saw wasn't what he expected. The window faced a brick wall.
In his confusion, the man called the nurse. “I don't understand,” he said. “What was my friend looking at?” She looked at him and smiled. “Nothing,” she answered. “He was blind. He was describing to you what he saw in his mind.”
What do you see in your mind? How far do you allow your thoughts to travel? In Mark chapter 7, Jesus is giving some very revealing insights regarding our minds. In fact, He's even gone so far as to say that more important than watching what we eat, is watching what we think.
It is the thought-life that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness ... pride and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God. Mark 7:20-23
It is your thoughts – that secret voice inside of you that no one else hears – that speaks volumes to God. As well, your thoughts can either transport you outside yourself, beyond your pain, or they can hand-deliver all the pain and problems a human mind could imagine. The battle is on. And for many, it’s on daily. But the good news is, you’re not alone. I like the way Paul put it in his letter to the Romans.
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:2
God will transform you through your mind. It’s not an up-hill battle. Jesus has already climbed the hill and won the battle. The blood on the Cross and the empty tomb are evidence of that.
If your mind, as well as your heart, is given to God, His Spirit will help you change the way you think. That's a promise.
And that is something to think about.
