The Battle of the Mind

Why? Why are 99% of life's difficulties all battled in the mind? Ugh. It's so taxing.
What to eat? How much to eat?
What to wear? Is it too tight?
What to say? How much to say?
What bills to pay first? How to pay the rest?
How do I get motivated to go run? Am I getting stronger?
Coke? No Coke? {I'm +4 months sans Coke/Dr. Pepper and the urge doesn't give up!}

Anyhow, the life struggle of the mind can sometimes seem overwhelming. This week it's been hard for me to get running. Seriously? I've been training so hard for so long, but I've been so tired this week and my mind has won. Well, except I made myself run 4 tonight and I'm thankful for the push. And, it felt good.

A friend of mine has been blogging lately about sarcasm and the need for truthful words. This has pricked my heart and caused some self-evaluation. As I was reading in Proverbs (b/c it IS applicable to daily life!) I read these verses, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment." Prov 12:18-19 And, in this self-eval I'm reminded that what I put in my heart/mind/soul is what is going to come out. And, scripture tells us that the tongue is deceitful. So, I need to be careful not to use "reckless words." I like that term.

Another battle of the mind is spending time in the Word. For instance, it is easier for many of us (ok, me) to talk with friends, facebook, and blog about our issues and then think to ask the Lord for help. Or, we ask, "Why?" Poor pitiful me. I read a quote (from facebook!) from Francis Chan (who I'm dying to read his books!) that says, "The average Christian in the US spends ten minutes per day with God; meanwhile, the average American spends over four hours a day watching television." Hmmm. Why? Why is it hard for us/me to make up our/my mind to seek the Lord? To dive deep in his Word?

Ok, which leads me to another thing I read today in "Feathers from my nest" by Beth Moore...
"We might get away with CliffsNotes versions of the old classics from time to time, but we will be terribly cheated and ill equipped for life if we rely on a CliffsNotes version of God's Word. I was raised on CliffsNotes. My guess is, you were too. ... Without realizing it, sometimes we approach Scripture by reading only what we already believe. ... but, I believe our churches were never meant to be the sole source of our Bible knowledge. We are unwise to hold our church's and denominations responsible for teaching us absolutely everything we need to know about the Word of God. To me, that's a large part of what the "priesthood" of the individual means. (1 Pet.2:5,9) Because Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest, not only can we approach God without a human "go between," we can also hear and learn from God in some sacred moments without one."
Wow. That's a long quote. But, it spurs a lot of thought. {My mind must be reeling with all these thoughts!} Especially thought provoking is reading only the part of Scripture we already believe. That's an easy rut to get into. Hmmm.

I have a friend that is going thru a big life change right now and I was to meet with her last week to talk it thru. Well, it didn't end up happening. And, I felt ok about it because sometimes talking about it {w/ girlfriends} is the last thing we need to do. On the other hand, our home is going thru a lot of life changes right now and I scheduled a chat with my dearest friend to specifically discuss some issues on my mind. I think it boils down to wanting to talk to talk, or talking in light of what has already been laid at the Jesus' feet and about the direction He's showing. Does that make sense? Sometimes not being able to talk with each other is God's way of giving us another opportunity to talk with Him first about our situations.

Well, I'm certain that I'm rambling. But, there is a lot to be said about the battle of the mind. I think that's why regular scripture reading and memorization is so important. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your heart. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes on your houses and on your gates."

So, I'm done with this post. The Lord is obviously working on me and my mind. After all, he did create me! Enjoy the weekend! I've got a LONG run tomorrow...definitely a battle of the mind!