What Are They Thinking?
The explosion of knowledge has brought both clarity and confusion. The volume of information available to most people in the US is staggering. One can literally learn about anything imaginable and find a multitude of things they would never imagine on their own.
What is a youth thinking, when he gets a gun and shoots classmates? What is going on in the mind of a man who prowls through the streets attacking people? What is the girl thinking, when she delivers her baby and throws it into the trash bin? When a young man goes into a school and shoots children, what is he thinking?
There are people who would blame video games or the despicable, vile and violent media we call entertainment. But, then, what was Hitler thinking? He most certainly was not exposed to those forms of media. What was Jack-the-Ripper thinking? We cannot attribute his crimes to the same influences. What of despot dictators anywhere in history? The murderous heinous crimes throughout time were not induced by these works.
Conversely, what is the woman who stands outside of an abortion clinic thinking, as she tries to give hope to those entering? What about the missionary, who has given up family and a stable home life to work in impoverished nations, sharing the hope of eternal life? What are they thinking? What of the foster parents, who care for children in crisis and provide housing and a stable environment for children they don’t even know? Or the people who run a food pantry, or the people who pour out their lives in after school programs, inner-city enrichment and recreation? What are they thinking?
We cannot know. Even if you have memoirs or manifestos, the human mind is a vast mystery. Even if you ask, one may think they know their own mind one day, only to find out that they think differently another day. Scripture says that the heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it? As the people of the Word seek to serve God and man, can others really know what they are thinking?
Most people do not think intentionally. With fads like “the Secret” around, there are more people who understand that we can control our thoughts, that we can decide what to dwell on. The Holy Bible has been saying this for ages. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”, Proverbs 23:7. In other words; the things you think about will manifest in your life.
As a survivor of abuse, we always have the choice to wallow in the self-pity and despair that comes with being violated to the core or we can acknowledge that we have suffered and choose to recognize that the assault on our humanity is a reflection on the abuser and not a designation we must hold for the rest of our lives.
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NKJV
In my recovery, I learned that there are two extremes vying for my attention. One leads to life and happiness and one to dreary despair. Even today, I am faced with the daily option to choose life and blessing or death and cursing. You are faced with the same choice.
If thoughts are seeds for actions and we are known by our fruit, what are you sowing? What are the fruits of your life?