GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS

DAY 216

One source of worry and offence that is given very little attention are “assumptions”. Thoughts, claims,assumptions, and a host of rhetorical questions that only provide building blocks. These blocks are either consciously or unconsciously stacked until they become walls we find insurmountable.

The people in Jesus hometown found themselves using a host of the aforementioned building blocks:

“Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?”
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?
“Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?”
“Aren’t all his sisters with us?”
” Where then did this man get all these things?” (Mt 13:54-56)

Interestingly, neither of these questions or thoughts were posed to anyone who had any insight to answer them. They flirted with those questions in their own minds until it caused them to resist every authority and grace Jesus carried. The Gospel renders it this way

'they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.'(vs 57)

Some of the seemingly safe thoughts we flirt with in our minds, have great potential to become castles of offense and worry. So let us make the words of Saint Paul our mindset:  ‘whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.'(Phil 4:8).