As a man thinketh... so is he.

"The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty.

Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. Who does not measure his beliefs and where he places his trust. When one makes his or her thoughts pure, they no longer desire impure food. 

Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and grace. The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which responds readily to the thought by which it is impressed and habits of thought will produce their own effects, good or bad, upon it." 

- As A Man Thinketh by: James Allen

I have recently been thinking. I am finding that I think A LOT.  But have have been giving particular attention to the effects of my thought life upon my body, upon my circumstances, upon my level of inner peace, and upon my relationships. Boy. What you think about really effects your whole world. How then can I gain discipline over my thoughts? How then can I train my mind?


I believe that trust is one major component. If our thoughts are a ship, than what we trust in is the anchor. Rather than sailing aimlessly about, I want to evaluate where my thoughts and visions are anchored before I set sail on the vast oceans of my mind.


In what do you trust? Where to you place your faith? In your family? In your self? In your job? How about your savings account or investments? And perhaps another question for some of you is, "How do I identify where I am placing my trust?"

Trusting

So without telling every detail of the story I am at one of those places in life that is completely and utterly unsettling. In fact I am at that place in several huge areas of my life all at the same time. This area of my life has to do with self-reliance though. I am hanging on to a rope and I can clearly tell that I am supposed to let go. But I'm afraid to let it go. My arm is burning like you would not believe and my body can barely hang on anymore but I get a sense of security from it that I am terrified to let go of.  

That Indiana Jones movie keeps coming to mind. You know where he keeps saying over and over, "The penitent man shall pass. Penitent. Penitent. The penitent man shall pass." I keep having this scene play across the movie screen of my mind... He is trying to get across that huge canyon, and he doesn't see a bridge. And he finally just steps off what he thinks is a cliff. But there is actually solid rock beneath him. I do not trust God that I will be okay if I let go of the rope. I don't. But I must.

Oh golly. 

So I googled Indiana Jones and when I clicked on the picture it linked me to this blog. Ha ha ha. Go figure.

I like the very last part about walking in love.

::Tuesdays's Tea with Me::

Good Morning America!

What have you been up to on this beautiful overcast Tuesday morning? Isn't it just beautiful when it's overcast and you can't see more than a yard in either direction? Hmmm... Funny sometimes God gives you only a few steps at a time. Why is that so hard for me?

I was thinking... what if we began to view our trials as exercises designed to develop our trust-muscles? Trust in a God you say you believe in. When I am asked, I totally tell people that I believe in God. I say that. But if they looked into my life, would they find proof? Do I believe in Him or do I simply know about him? There is a lot of information out there about God.

Sometimes there is a lot of information out there about you. Your company keeps track of your performance, the credit bureaus keep track of your credit score, college transcripts... Speeding tickets anyone? Yet if someone were to read the things that were down on paper, would that give them a good idea of who you are? Do you think those things would accurately reflect your value? Your entirety? Of course not. They're one dimensional, and you my dear friend are way more than one dimensional. Things recorded about you, cannot possibly tell the whole story. They may address one specific thing in your life, like the fact that you feel you can break the rules and disregard the speed limit, but how does that tell them what makes you unique? Some people may be privy to facts about you, but only certain people in this life, have the honor of knowing you.

This brings me to a complete tangent but I have to tell this story. One day I was driving a very fast car. I can't remember why I had the fast car, (Dad it was not yours don't worry) but it was awesome. Two door sports car and I was happy as a clam. So I was flying along country roads and "enjoying the abilities of the car", and ZOOM I flew by a highway patrol. I was over the hill before he could even pull onto the road. But I knew. I KNEW. Aaaaaand... there he was behind me. No lights on. I just pulled right over. He walked up to my window, and said, "Boy you sure pulled over quick. I didn't even have to turn on my lights." I said, "Well we can do it over if you want?" :)

You know what. That guy gave me the nicest speeding ticket I've ever received. Lets just say it didn't indicate anywhere near the actual speed I was going. And I had to go to traffic school and pay fines and all that. But you know... I was speeding.

Okay but my point is, that information doesn't tell you everything about me. It might even make me more interesting? Or you'll never let your children ride with me again. Who knows. But if we as humans can't be defined on paper, how much more dimensional is God. A being without limits. God must be one of the most popular beings to write about ever. We have oodles of information on the guy. But can you say that you know him? Do you live with him? Cuz I hear you know someone a whole lot better once you live with them. Ha! Knowing them versus the things that are written down about them is like the difference between High Definition TV and black and white television. Anyways, just something to think about. I hate to kick you out, but I gotta get to work. Love you guys. Xoxo

"Come near to God, and He will come near to you... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."

He is the Way

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Hold My hand, and walk joyously with Me through this day. Together we will savor the pleasures and endure the difficulties it brings. Be on the lookout for everything I have prepared for you: stunning scenery, bracing winds of adventure, cozy nooks for resting when you are weary, and much more. I am your Guide, as well as your Companion. I know every step of the journey ahead of you, all the way to heaven.

You don't have to choose between staying close to Me and staying on course. Since I am the Way, staying close to Me is staying on course. As you focus your thoughts on Me, I will guide you carefully along today's journey. Don't worry about what is around the next bend. Just concentrate on enjoying My Presence and staying in step with Me.

- Sarah Young

Trust in the Lord

What a day...

I heard something on the radio today that really encouraged me so I thought I would share it. Apparently there is a famous Christian guy named David Wilkerson whom I admittedly have never heard of. I dont really keep track of who is who, but he died in a car crash several days ago and here is what he posted on his blog just hours before he passed away:

“To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights—and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, ‘I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident. It was no failure on your part. Hold fast. Let me embrace you in your hour of pain.’

And so I was pretty stoked today because I realized... God has it all under control.