Captive Thoughts
I had just dipped my hands into the hot, soapy water to get dishes checked off of the to-do list…and then I heard the most dreaded sound. In the other room was a toddler wailing. Not the “brother won't share his toy” kind of cry, but the “help me!” kind of cry. My one and a half year old had situated his head between the narrow legs of the living room side table. He was panicking as I gently led his head out of the metal bars. After being freed from the predicament, I noticed it taking him a long time to calm down. I'm sure he thought he would be imprisoned forever.
When I effortlessly pulled him through, it changed the reality quick enough that he didn't realize he was no longer in "danger.” I held him and assured him that he wasn't stuck anymore. That term kept running through my head, "You are not STUCK any more.” The threat had been taken away, as I had already rescued him.
His situation had me reflecting on some of my own cycles of thinking. Often, ruminating on the feeling of something that has already passed. The threat, the event, the damage is already done, yet I inhibit my ability to recover because I keep my thoughts on the unfavorable event. When the bad thing comes, I inevitably make it out of it, and I still keep thinking about the thing. It's like my thoughts won't let me move on. Something as simple as someone saying unkind words to me would start the negative thinking pattern. I would casually obsess about the uncalled for comment. I’d think: “I didn't do anything to them, so why are they attacking me? Why do they feel it is okay to speak to others in such a manner? Am I actually at fault?” These types of natural responses would fill my head for hours or sometimes days. When someone ran a red light and hit my car, I replayed the situation in my mind for months. The more severe the event was, the more time I typically spent thinking about it. I realized, just like my son, my brain didn't always recognize that I was now free and safe.
When I reflect back, I wonder how much time I must have wasted on such thoughts. How different might it have been if I had sought Jesus first? If I remembered “we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us,” (1 John 4:16, ESV) I probably wouldn't think too much about the unkind comments. Or what if for ANY hardship, I remembered, “the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8, ESV). We know that the darkness can not overpower the light. Our strength comes from Jesus, so we should remember how He physically, emotionally, and mentally saves us daily. When we get stuck, we need to seek Him. He will not fail us. He always comes to the rescue in His perfect timing. Not to say wicked things will never occur. We know bad things will happen on this imperfect earth, but God is still with us. Before the attacks even happen, the battle is already won. With the acknowledgement of victory, we should not fixate on the negative circumstances. Trials have the ability to refine us, to reshape our faith. If we do think back to negative events, we should be focusing on how we overcame it (or are going to overcome it) with the help of our Savior. Even more so, using the event as a reminder to thank God for His help in getting us out of it. Being imprisoned by thoughts is not how God wants us to spend our time and energy. Unlike my son, it was not my physical condition that was stuck, it was my mind.
God is freeing our minds from adversity the same way I removed my son's head from that table. When He is holding us and telling us we're alright, we can trust that it is and we can rest.