…take
every thought captive to obey Christ.
2
Corinthians 10:5
Whenever
I catch myself letting my thoughts travel without a conductor, I enjoy halting
my train of thought and following the tracks back to the original station. It’s
amazing to see the random station stops and where the root of our thoughts can lead.
However,
we shouldn’t track down our train of thought only when we enjoy it. When our
thought-trains steam with anger, roaring down the rails, we need to follow the
tracks and find where this train came from.
I
heard a lady describing this on the radio recently. She described when her
family was late for church and her husband was driving under the speed limit. When they were late! She began cultivating
infuriated thoughts toward her husband. But she stopped herself and asked why
she was irritated.
Because he’s driving
under the limit.
Why does that bother
you?
Because we’re going to
be late.
Why is that so bad?
Because I want to be
on time.
Why?
So we can look
professional and punctual to all the other church families.
Ohhh, so
you just want to look good; this is a
pride issue. And that’s why you’re cross.
She
found the root problem and told herself, We’re
going to be late, and that’s how it is, and that’s okay. Her feelings of
anger dissolved; her runaway train of thought was back in control.
This
time of year, taking control of runaway trains is especially relevant. When
someone exclaims, “Only sixteen more days until Christmas!” our first response
is, “Agh! Don’t say that!” It’s a seriously stressful season.
Why?
Because I need to find
all the perfect presents for my family and friends and decorate my house to
look like a Hallmark card and I haven’t baked cookies yet!
Why is all this such a
big deal?
Because I need to do
this to make Christmas all that it needs to be for my family.
So Christmas is focused
on family now, and on not letting people down? Is that what Christmas needs to
be?
Our
intentions of desiring a giving spirit and wanting to make people happy may set
in motion a deadly engine of anxiety and disappointment. We must hijack these
perilous thought-trains, tracing back what’s really at the core.
And
once we find the root issue, we have to redirect our thoughts on a godly track.
Derailing the old self and fueling the new. Letting go of anxieties and
trusting His perfect sovereignty. Taking all thoughts captive to obey Christ.
Romans
12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern
what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
~Klipsie
