Hi
What’s on your mind lately? Today’s Holy Nougat reminds us of the mind’s influence on matters of hope and despair.
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21 NLT
So here’s the question; what agenda has the tongue been serving more? (And for the record, it might be instructive to consider our thought-lives also, as some of us might not always give voice to the thought.) Have we been preoccupied with the doom and gloom agenda, especially since the advent of C-19? Or have we been intentional about choosing to focus on Life?
Before giving a glib response, I urge us to prayerfully pause and reflect on our mental-spiritual state over the last seven months – BC & SC (Before Covid and Since Covid). How has our thought life been impacted by a) the physical act of distancing in our contexts; b) the rise in numbers and c) the direct impact of the virus on our sphere?
And, perhaps more critically, can we sense a shift in how we interact with God since the pandemic? Has it been a roller coaster ride, with dips and rises, especially when it seems like ‘Rona is here to stay? Has our faith not wavered one way or the other? Has our prayer life improved as we’ve tried to make sense of the impact of Covid on our daily lives? It is worth considering as we might find that there’s a correlation between our thought-lives and our faith.
I have found that when our mental and spiritual lives are aligned, it often has a proportionate effect on that which comes from our lips. For the mental and spiritual often influences our emotions, which in turn is reflected in what we say (and think, though some people don’t give voice to our thoughts). And so, we are cautioned to guard our hearts [what we believe], as everything we do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23). It may be in some simple things or ways, but those might be the warning that something is wrong; or the affirmation that it is well with our souls.
Now back to the tongue
What has our tongue been affirming recently? If our speech is determined by our thought-spiritual life, then we have a serious obligation to ensure that what comes from us is life affirming. For as ones created in God’s likeness, our words have creative power! And our words usually reflect our thoughts, whether consciously or even in jest. Maybe it’s time to curate what we believe, receive and repeat!
My dears, it may be useful to feed our hearts and minds with life-affirming content; ensuring that the words we utter are also life-affirming.
God bless us all
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
