I saw another
thought-provoking bumper sticker this week:
Don’t Believe Everything You
Think.
It speaks on several levels, doesn’t
it? Don’t
Believe Everything You Think.
It could mean Don’t Close Your Mind, Stay Open to Truth. The things we think we know
for sure always need to be tempered with humility.
It
could mean Give the Benefit of the
Doubt. You may think you understand
the whole situation, but the odds are very good you don’t.
And it could mean Watch What You Let Into Your Mind.
Modern culture barrages us with advertising, celebrities, bad news, and
trivia. We need to control what comes into our inner world. It’s incredibly hard to keep your view of the
world from growing cynical in 60 minutes once a week (at best). Worship alone
isn’t enough.
I’m not striking the stereotypical
anti-commerce “Feel guilty for buying Christmas presents” note here. Just a
reminder that if you’re not intentionally devoting time to Jesus, you’re more
susceptible to the junk all around you. You may find yourself believing
everything you think.
Take time for quiet. Find times and places of solitude. Read the Gospel of Luke, or the Psalms, or
devotional books, or anything reflective and uplifting. Make time for music (such as Handel’s Messiah here Sunday morning) and for
worship. Pray, no matter “how bad” you think you are at it. Hold on to all that is good and holy and
true this season. Believe the good news of God.
so that you may discern what is will of God – good,
acceptable and perfect.
(Romans
12:2)