Maybe this has happened to you. But today it took me by surprise. Honestly, it shouldn’t have. It’s not like it hasn’t happened a thousand times before but today I don’t have a clue what caused it.
All I remember is that I was writing in my journal- about “loyalty” and “respect”. I was getting some great insights and was excited and I stopped writing to share what I was learning with my husband. That’s it. Somehow I went from great insights and journaling to packing my husband’s lunch, gathering a donation and placing it by the front door for pickup today, and yea, I even walked the dog. When I finally “came to” and realized somehow I had lost my focus and not completed my writing…
…again.Probably the title of this entry is what caught your attention. We all have “beasts” that attempt to control us. To take us to a place we don’t necessarily want to go. They may start out as “friends,” but eventually, as we give them more and more control – we have a “beast” controlling our moves – almost involuntarily.
Let me give you an example:
Food. It begins in a delightful way. Savory flavors that we enjoy. Then they entice us. We give in. And again, and again. Before we know it, we are eating when we aren’t even hungry because “it tastes so good.” The friend becomes a foe.
So, theoretically, food, shopping, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, porn, could be a “beast” in our lives.
But I don’t think so.
The beast is bigger than that.
Bigger than the pull of food, drugs, sensuality, etc.
The beast is our THOUGHTS.
We have lost the discipline of managing our thoughts. Our world has so many distractions: email, texts, phones in our pockets, and a laptop on our dining room table, TV, radio…. We have more things competing for our attention than ever before.
Our thoughts need to be trained. To allow our thoughts to be directed by the latest distraction is like studying for a test while you’re at an amusement park. It’s defeating.
Joyce Meyer, a bible teacher, says we need to “think about what you’re thinking about.”
Training our mind to concentrate – is a topic we don’t hear about much. If ever. But with the electronic world vying for our attention constantly we will have to be purposeful if we want to be productive, if we want to live in the fullness of our purpose.
We live in a world of interruptions. Conversations are interrupted more than ever. Relationships suffer.
Take control of your thoughts and don’t allow them to pull you from distraction to distraction. Instead practice being present. Doing what you are doing. Enjoying the moment. If we enjoy the present then our relationships flourish, we look into each other’s eyes and really listen to one another’s hearts. When we live in the present, and not allow our thoughts to carry us away, we complete projects, follow through with ideas.
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Romans 12:2 …be transformed by the renewing of your mind…
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2 Corinthians 10:5 …we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ …
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Philippians 2:3 …with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself…
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Philippians 4:8 …if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, let your mind dwell on these things…
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1 Peter 1:13 …gird up your minds for action…
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1 Peter 5:8 ….Be self-controlled and alert….
We are the beneficiaries when we control our thoughts!
I challenge you to leash the beast today! You might be surprised how fierce the battle is….
Monica Bowes says
Thank you Char. This topic was a much needed reminder for me. I think I need to “think” about what you said in this blog everyday! One distraction that I find most clogging to my mind and distracting is the news and information that pours into our lives on television and radio. Really. Do we need to know about every topic that is communicated to us on a daily basis. Most of it is scary and negative, thus producing fear and anxiety in our minds and hearts. Why can’t the news report more encouraging and uplifting happenings too?
Thank you for reminding us of the most key procedure in having a truly sensible and productive day!!
Monica
trekkingthru says
Thanks for commenting Monica! It’s so important to keep a positive mindset.. 🙂