Mind: Stop Spinning
I’m an advocate for gaining knowledge, being informed, and keeping up with what is going on in the world. As I heard a friend once say, “Ignorance is not bliss, it’s just ignorance.” But with all the information that we are presented with throughout each day, I have wondered, for myself and for you, is it possible to sit and watch a sunset without worrying or thinking? Are we able to simply sit any longer? Do we ever shut off our minds? The answer is likely sometimes, but more than likely hardly. World events aren’t the only things that keep our minds spinning, the daily mundane tasks, our unfinished projects, broken relationships, worrying about finances, the list goes on and on because the cares of this world are many.
So what are we to do?
In an interview recently regarding race, I was asked how I practice “self-care” so as not to burnout and to be encouraged in my soul. My answer was simple: I stop. I stop thinking about the issues for a moment. I don’t forget them. And I don’t pretend that they don’t exist. But there comes a time when, in order to have true and lasting peace, we have to understand that burdens were never meant for us to fully carry and taking captive our thoughts is a means of caring for our souls. I don’t do this perfectly—I never will—but stopping is a practice that reminds me that I’m not God and He desires to carry all the things that keep my mind spinning. And sooner than later, the spinning stops and there’s peace. I’m given the grace to think clearly and I remember—God.
Today, if you are troubled about many things, may I encourage you to stop, to pause, and ask God to clear your mind. Even if it’s just for a moment, it will be worth it. I believe God will honor your act of faith, trusting Him with your concerns rather than carrying them on your own. He is faithful.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isa. 26:3).
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This past week I joined five storytellers in Rwanda to meet the incredible men and women served by HOPE International and capture stories. The stories are wonderfully encouraging but their lives were a lesson to me. On Tuesday, we drove out with another organization (Aziza Life) to learn from women of the Abumurvava Village, which means “The Courageous People” and experience the typical lifestyle of a woman in the countryside. As we drove out to this village and as I interacted with the women, I couldn’t get Proverbs 31, the famous Hebrews poem, out of my head.