Our thought life is the lens through which we see God, others, and the world we live in. Our thought life is also the place where all personal change begins. What we learn through one of John’s favorite books by Dallas Willard, “The Renovation of the Heart,” is that God wants to renew us from the inside out. There is no better way to evaluate the condition of our hearts than to look at our thoughts.
Dallas writes, “Thoughts are the place where we can and must begin to change. There the light of God first begins to move upon us…the ultimate freedom we have as human beings is the power to select what we will allow or require our minds to dwell upon.”
Sometimes we describe a busy mind or an overwhelmed state of focus by saying, “I was lost in thought.” With a to-do list scrolling in the back of our minds and a calendar of appointments sending us ongoing notifications, it is ever so easy to get lost in a ping-pong of bouncing thoughts. Oftentimes, it is the bouncing of thoughts that paralyzes us from action. If we desire change, the first step is to think about our thinking. It is liberating to know that we have the freedom and power to do so! The light of God reveals the clouded thoughts in us and allows us the opportunity to change and flourish as we attain an awareness of God in our thoughts.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes about an inner battle for peace, and he encourages followers of God to “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.” Essentially, he is saying to think about our thoughts, evaluate their truth, sort them accordingly, and invite God into them.
The thoughts we have give a direct cause to the feelings we experience. Dallas writes, ”You cannot evoke thoughts by feeling a certain way, but we can evoke and to some degree control feelings, by directing your thoughts. Our power over our thoughts is a great and indispensable assistance in directing and controlling our feelings.”
It is common in personality profiling to categorize someone as predominantly a “thinker” or a “feeler.” We all fit into both categories, but we may lean towards one as a first filter for receiving information. Some people (including Dallas) may disagree with this notion, and defend that we are all thinkers first with a varying pace of engaging our emotions. Regardless of fitting the profile, this framework of the mind is built around our thoughts towards God. Our greatest and most humble effort is to be a student of our own minds. To actively assess our thoughts and invite God into them.
Here are some questions to ask as you consider this invitation of God into your thoughts:
- What are my thoughts towards God?
- Do my thoughts reflect a desire to invite God into my life and my thoughts?
- Do I have a perspective of God that makes me want to have Him?
May you embrace your freedom and power to think about your thinking.
