Thought Pictures
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
(Matthew 19:26, NKJV)
In the unseen depth of our being is the mind and heart working in tandem and they are at times referred to interchangeably. We differentiate the two by saying that the mind thinks while the heart feels. This intricate dance between the mind and the heart is seen in how our thoughts influence our emotions or feelings and in turn, how our emotions impact our capacity to think. The picture of a situation that we hold in our minds creates emotions which are strong enough to move us to action in a given direction. It is said that our thoughts create our reality and while I do not necessarily agree with this wholesome, I find that my thoughts largely influence how I relate with a situation and the energy that I give to it. Take an example of when doing something that you totally believe in and are convinced that you will make it, you push yourself to do it right. The opposite is also true, when we think we cannot make it, we do not employ ourselves enough to the task, subsequently we fail to give ourselves an opportunity to succeed. For those who engage in competitive sports, the picture that they hold of themselves during that activity motivates them towards the results that they achieve. Thoughts are interesting and intricate in that they are so private and one will not know what the other thinks unless they tell it or act it out. Many hide their thoughts from others and so the surprise when one finds out that the person has pursued a different path. The truth is that the different path taken was in the mind of the individual but was not revealed to the other person. A spiritual leader once told me that the human hearts and minds can only be likened to a deep, deep forest whose species are never fully known but are discovered along the way.
Our reference verse comes from a time when Jesus was teaching and He spoke figuratively to the crowd. His words confused them and though they did not voice it, they wondered in their minds about it. Jesus looking at them and understanding their thoughts then said the above words. It does appear that the impossibility of the reality that Jesus was speaking to them about, was in their minds and thoughts and as such, they could not see it possible. The fact that they could not understand how it would happen, blocked their ability to believe. This is also true with us, we stop short of trying something which is promised in the word of God because we do not carnally understand the how of its reality. Faith is beyond our thinking capacity, we are called to believe not because we understand but because He who has said it is dependable and faithful enough to accomplish it (1 Thessalonians 5:24). God speaking through Prophet Isaiah told us that His thoughts cannot be compared to our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). God has perfect thoughts towards us (Jeremiah 29:11) and He acts out His thoughts in our lives when we let Him do so. Beloved, I am encouraged that our Father thinks about us, He has special thoughts concerning each one of us, thoughts beyond our ability to imagine or think. His word is His letter of love letting us know the beautiful thoughts that He has towards us and these are the thoughts we are invited to hold on to. When we allow God’s thoughts to be our thoughts we will start seeing the picture that God holds concerning us and we see ourselves as He sees us, conquerors in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37). Paul reminds us to hold in our minds: noble, right, admirable, excellent thoughts which are praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Beloved, when we step into such thoughts, we shall enter praise zone as we shall be carrying the thoughts and pictures of God in our minds and hearts. Amen.
Thoughts:
What are the pictures you are holding in your mind?
Which God-thoughts are you entertaining?
In which areas of your life are you not holding pure thoughts?
How have thoughts impacted your life so far?