What Are You Thinking About?

​What Are You Thinking About?
 
Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 16:20
 
I was about 3 miles into my long Saturday run when I suddenly found it. I rounded the bend in the road and there it was, a brief moment when I felt suspended in time, my mind disconnected from my body untethered thoughts flowing freely.  No longer mentally tied to the physical struggles of running, my mind wandered. I had inadvertently stumbled into the running sweet spot; the magical moment in running when you aren't thinking about your labored breathing, your feet pounding on the pavement, and how many more miles you have to endure before you finish. I don't know how I got there and I can't seem to recreate the moment on a regular basis, like a great dish without a recipe, but I know it was delicious while it lasted. 
 
Where do your thoughts go when your mind is allowed to wander? Does your mind fill up with worry, fear or discontent? Does it make lists or set agendas? Does it drift to old memories of better days? Does it start to play the "what if" game?
 
Proverbs 16:20 tells us "whoever gives thought to the word will discover good."  So, I have to ask myself, how often do my thoughts drift to God's word? Not as often as they should is my honest answer. First of all, I don't have enough of God's word memorized for it to quickly come to my mind. Second, I don't spend enough time in it to be thinking about it. And most of all, I let the noise of my daily life drown out the whispers of God.
 
So what do we need to do in order to give thought to the word? First, we need to make time for it. We need to create space in our day to meet with God. For me, this means getting up 15 minutes earlier in the morning. Second, we need to think about it. I have cards with verses posted around my house that I look at regularly. And third, we need to memorize it. My posted verses need to become flash cards. I need to go beyond thinking of God's word to storing it in my memory.
 
Just like I can't find the running sweet spot without running, we can't think about God's word without reading it.
 
What is one change you can make today to spend more time in God's word? Find one verse to think about to replace your usual worries or negative thoughts. Take a walk and let your mind wander to all the blessings God has given you.
 
Further reading: Proverbs 2:1-5, Hebrews 4:12
 

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