There were two friends named Joyce and Sandra who were set
to go on a vacation outside the country after obtaining work leave. They were
to spend three weeks in Atlanta, USA. Sandra and Joyce had separate houses they lived alone in. Joyce granted permission to a friend who had a business to
do in town to stay over at her house when she would be gone.
On the day of the trip, Joyce got to Sandra’s house as early
as possible as she did not want to be late for their trip. When Joyce got to
Sandra’s house, she realized Sandra had not yet packed for the trip. They had
just two hours to get to the airport and the airport was 1 hour 30 mins from
Sandra’s house. This left the two friends no other choice but to hurry as much
as they could so they would meet up with time. They eventually got to the
airport, almost late but were able to catch up.
As a result of rushing to the airport, Sandra had forgotten
to close her windows and her back door (she wasn’t even aware of this) and it
was raining season. She lived alone, so no one was able to help. Joyce did not
have the same issue. She made sure her windows were properly closed, her
doors as well and Joyce also had a friend who was to come stay at her place
while she was gone. That evening, it
rained so heavily and the rained leaked into Sandra’s house especially the
sitting room which was the most exposed. The furniture was soaked, the entire
house as well, everywhere was quite a mess. The next day in the afternoon, the
sun shone and Sandra’s house was aired, only to a small extent though. Joyce's house windows were opened at the right time by her friend who came to stay and
was locked when the rain came.
For three weeks, rain leaked into Sandra’s house. By the
time she came back, she was shocked and devastated by what had happened. Her
furniture, even if it was aired those afternoons by the sun that shone into the
room was damaged as a result of the continuous exposure to rain and it got worse. Some of
her properties were swept away by the rain because the house was a bit flooded too.
Her house was half empty as a result and her furniture was damaged. The power source was cut off because the rain destroyed the entire wiring of the house, everywhere
was dark and cold.
Now, this story is not to scare anyone but it can be applied
to our minds and this is to show how the mind works. Joyce’s house is the mind
that has a lock (control) over it, it is selective of what it allows in and as a
result, this mind is sound. The individual with this mind grows progressively
as a result of their mindset. Let’s say the happened to be a day that Joyce’s
friend forgot to close the windows and it rained into the house, she would air
the wet furniture after the event and would learn her lesson then close the
windows next time it rains. A sound mind may on one or two occasions may let in
inappropriate thoughts, but is conscious enough to shut down these thoughts
when it realizes itself and then allow only positive thoughts (positive thought
has a way of airing out bad thoughts too). Sandra’s house, this mind has
experienced letting in inappropriate thoughts, but as a result of lack of
control or continuous exposure or the ‘’untrue good feeling’’ it brings, these
thoughts keep coming in. Please note that inappropriate thoughts include
lustful thoughts, fears, worries, anger or grudge, negative thoughts, etc. When
these thoughts keep coming in without being filtered out, this mind is weakened
progressively (for the medics, you would say it’s like a chronic disease but
some experiences may not require it to be chronic though). This mind may get
flooded with the negative thoughts and as a result suppress the
prior positive mindset of the individual and then weaken their minds. The furniture
in Sandra’s house got damaged and the house cannot function properly or be used.
The individual with this mindset may become inactive as a result of a poor
mindset. The individual is likely not to utilize their full potential as well
for one reason or the other which may be as a result of disbelief in
themselves.
Even if the exposed house did not have rain leak inside, the
fact that it was opened to anything means it was opened to any stray animal or
persons or even to thieves. When a mind is not controlled or exposed, stray
thoughts as a result of wondering can come in and can dwell when the individual
allows it. The exposed mind can become cold as a result of continuous exposure to these thoughts and just as the exposed house is after the power source
is cut off, the individual becomes depressed and withdrawn.
This brings us to where the bible says we should be
transformed by the renewing of our minds in Romans 12 verse 2. The mind affects
the working or functioning of an individual. What the mind feeds on determines
an individual’s personality. We as believers have perfect spirits but we
require a continuously renewed mind. What do you think on? Are you letting
yourself get burdened? Do you feel you are in bondage of your thoughts? Do not
be afraid, it’s never too let to fix all of this. What’s very important is your
determination and willingness to let go of this thoughts. Some thoughts may not
be bad per say but are inappropriate because they eventually become burdensome.
Example, when you are concerned about having a life partner that it begins to
bother you every day and drive you to desperation at your own risk or you
become so distracted that you are more focused about looking for a life partner
in everybody that crosses your path than in pursuing what’s more important at
the moment. Or being very concerned about the future that you forget to live in
the present. These are important matters but it’s good that when you think
about them, you pray about it, trust God and let it go while following God’s
plan for your life. Next week, we will discuss fixing the exposed house and
precautions to not become like the exposed house and contributions will be
gotten from selected people regarding this issue.
You can also leave your contributions in the comment section
on how you overcame the mind battle or your concerns regarding this.
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