With all our mind
What are you? Can we imagine dividing our humanity into Body, Soul, and Spirit for example? Or are we ‘Heart, Soul, and Mind.’ as Tuesday’s reading suggests? I’m not even going to begin to answer that question – but I do believe we have the faculty to think. And that includes thinking about God. We have minds to think about things, to make decisions, and to Love.
When Jesus was questioned by a lawyer about the greatest commandment He replied ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind ‘
This week our readings focus on the idea of loving God with our whole mind. So you might have to think a little harder this week as we read together about ‘Loving with all our mind’
v 99. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,
for I am always thinking of your laws.
What goes on in our minds is of the utmost importance. I am sure that you, like me, have encountered people who seem to have been in a bit of a dream. They were with you in person, but frankly their thoughts were far away. Call it ‘Day dreaming’ if you like. Every teacher is familiar with the signs – the absent-minded look, the gazing out of the window, the doodling on the desk, – all indications of a mind far away from the business of the lesson. Even a Preacher can become aware of it in a congregation! A mind focussed on the matter in hand is a mind that learns the lessons of the moment. To possess a mind that fails to focus when you are driving a car is potentially lethal.
This week’s readings are about finding focus in following Jesus. We have to learn lessons about avoiding the seductive attractions of the world around us. Meanwhile, the advertisers, the A List celebrities and the TV programme makers are all out to claim our attention. Learning the defensive skills so that we can block out unhelpful thoughts and focus on the right things is absolutely vital in the walk of faith. You can’t actually stop bad thoughts being launched at you, but you can learn to recognise them for what they are and turn them away.
I am writing these comments in the days leading up to Christmas and I am acutely aware that the advertisers want me to buy and consume loads of food, invest my money (and thoughts) in special clothing, and feel pressured into buying things for other people that will make me appear generous.
Do you know yourself well enough to be aware of the direction from which assaults on your thinking will come – and then be watchful to deflect these unhelpful thoughts into a more positive channel?
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