The Perpetual Stomach Ache of the Restless Mind…

    Have you ever visited the digestive aids aisle at Walgreen’s?  Man, there’s more stuff for your stomach than almost any other ailment, except cold medicine, but that’s another blog.  Heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion, gas, bloating, diarrhea, upset stomach, constipation and on and on it goes.  (Oh Mylanta!)  Sure, we eat weird foods nowadays but John the Baptist ate locusts (spiky legs and all).. And, yes we are in a perpetual hurry so we eat fast, drink fast, work fast, talk fast and think fast; so fast we don’t think.  We all know we need to slow down, don’t we?  But a better question might be what has us moving so dang fast?  What in the world happened to us that made us need an endless supply of Tums?  Rolaids spells relief, but only addresses the symptoms, never the cause.  So, I’m thinking (burppp) we better find out the cause.

One predominant idea centers on our minds; specifically our thoughts.  Have you ever really gotten serious about what thoughts you are revolving around in your head?  Here’s a shocker for you – you are 100% responsible for the thoughts that you think, whether consciously or subconsciously.  Shocker #2 – you can control your thoughts!  Shocker #3 – you can control EVERY thought.   Shocker #4 – most folks see no connection between the thoughts they think and the perpetual need for antacids!  In case you just stopped reading  and reached for your Tums, here’s some spiritual insight:

Overthrowing reasonings and every high thing that lifts itself up against the knowledge of God, and leading captive every thought into the obedience of the Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5 (Darby Version)

Shocker #3 revealed!  God surely wouldn’t tell us to lead captive every thought if He only meant some of our thoughts.  Plus, I love the words, “leading captive” meaning sometimes those ol’ thoughts just seem to appear, but you don’t have to let them stay!  So now back to Shocker #2 (waiting while you go back to read it…)  A mind may be a terrible thing to waste, but even more specifically, a mind is a terrible thing to just let drift where it wants to drift.  An open mind is a beautiful thing indeed, but not open to whatever or whomever, whenever!  Okay, back to your thoughts…  What are you saying to yourself throughout a day?  Are you being kind to yourself?  Do you give yourself a break and allow yourself to be a human?  Do you forgive yourself?  Or do you spend most of your “private” thought life mercilessly beating yourself to death?  Oh you don’t do that?  Really?  I can assure you, unless you have been taught otherwise, (and who the heck ever teaches this stuff?) that, if you take the time, you will make a frightening discovery!  I would surmise that no-one is meaner to you, than you are to yourself!  You think Daddy or Mommy didn’t say nice things to you?  Haha trust me, they got nothing on what you say to yourself!  Most humans (and yes I am also human) spend their days comparing themselves to others (and coming up short); evaluating themselves (and coming up short); judging themselves (and coming up short); dwelling on themselves (and coming up short); and just flat-out hating themseves because they aren’t this or that or don’t have this or that or don’t earn this or that or don’t look like this or that!  Come on admit it!  Why the obsession with earning money or dressing in style or losing weight or having this kind of hair or getting some work done (an odd expression meaning body reconstruction?) or driving this car or living in that house etc., etc.  There’s nothing wrong with ambition or nice things, but there’s something wrong with having that perpetual stomach ache!  In short, we just don’t pay attention to that gnarling, persistent, attacking, insidious, agitated, never satisfied inner voice that we have mistakenly confused with ourself!  And, we wonder why we have indigestion again?  If someone sat across from you and hurled insults your way all day long, chances are (unless you are really passive or on the football team) you would get up and leave.  I mean, really, you don’t have to take that!  But when it’s you talking to you somehow it must be truth!  Well it aint truth folks!  It’s “drifter mind” being let loose on itself.  The enemy of mankind has a real slick trick up his sleeve and that trick is your own thoughts.  He takes advantage of what you let go or don’t maintain.  Have you ever seen a house that is abandoned?  It doesn’t take long for the place to start decomposing.  Well, how long does it take for your mind to start decomposing?  Well, let’s see how old am I?  (I’m kidding!)  But, I trust you see my point!  In life, whatever you can control, that you don’t control will soon start controlling you!  Have you ever wondered why you don’t get the big break?  Make the serious cash?  Get into the wonderful relationship?  Well, what do you think about all of those things?  “I just don’t get any breaks!” thought enough times IS your reality!  “Making serious money is really hard!”  and we wonder why it seems so elusive?  “All men are assholes!” hmmm and those are the ones I keep running into!  It’s you and it’s me folks!

So, do you want to get out of the digestive aids aisle at Walgreen’s?  Would you rather visit the candy aisle?  Then, you have to learn how to control your thoughts.  Some of those thoughts that now define you are in reality well-worn tapes that YOU play over and over again!  Pop the tape out and buy a CD (it’s 2013)!  CD=change direction… (Clever huh?)  Notice what nasty thing you just said to yourself and start changing it around.  You’ll never get to the Skittles unless you are willing to give it a shot.  (Hey maybe you like Tums!)  You see, the reason we are so restless and dissatisfied isn’t because our lives suck so bad but rather because what we think about our life sucks so bad!  Change your thoughts, change your life!  No, not by tomorrow morning, but eventually.  And hey, the life you are living in the present will get better immediately!  Challenge those old stories because they were never who you really are anyway!  The real you is satisfied, happy and contented knowing that everything you will ever need will show up when you need it, once you get out of the stomach ache trap.

So, at the end of the day remember, the reason I know about the digestive aids aisle at Walgreen’s is because I was there…  I, like you, am a work in progress but I’m okay with that.  I hope you will be okay with that as well…

Think…just some good thoughts!