Untangling the “nots” in my life

Do not think about a ripe watermelon, split in half and filled with seeds.

Too hard because the picture is above it? All right. Do not think about the fork you would use to eat the watermelon.

You thought about them, right? The pictures linger in our minds, totally disregarding the instruction not to think about it. The more often we tell ourselves not to think about them, the deeper the images get burned in.

The word “not” vanishes and our brains focus on the message. These thoughts fill our mind and can determine our perspective. The Apostle Paul cautioned about it when he wrote.

It’s not just about picturing things. Imagine you are driving down the road and the person in the passenger seat says “Watch out for that pothole on the right.” When your eyes turn toward the right, where do you automatically guide the steering wheel?

Solomon provided some relevant advice, which matches my kids’ instructor from Vista Ridge Driving School.

The same principle works with instructions, too. No matter who is giving them.

“Adam and Eve, you must not eat the fruit from that tree.” As they heard him speak the words, they must have been imagining themselves biting into the fruit. The action soon followed.

Unless we are really careful, then we will imagine things we shouldn’t, and our eyes will guide us into things we should avoid.

When I criticize people or focus attention on negative things, I build those images in their minds. It is only natural that they would start to see examples of those images as they walk through their daily lives. When they focus on those examples, they unintentionally steer toward them.

If I believe that, why do I complain so much about things I don’t like – burning those images into my own brain? And why do I spend so much time warning people about perils to avoid – guiding them into those very dangers?

I was thinking about that this morning while I was showering before work. During my final rinse, I decided to go on a not-fast. I committed to avoid the use of negative comments and to redirect my thoughts toward positive imagery.

Stepping out of the shower onto the bathmat, I described to Kim something that worried me about a friend. My fast was broken within sixty seconds. It is hard to change our behaviors.

God uses images to influence our behaviors positively. Before we were born, he created a perfect picture of what we could become. He doesn’t change that picture when we fail. He forgets our sins and embraces his original image and his plan for our lives.

As he reveals that image to us, we see glimpses of it in our daily walk with him. We are drawn to those things, which steer us into our destiny.

I want to become the person that God sees me to be. I also want to help all the people in my life in that same pursuit.

One day at a time, one person a time, we can begin to see people in the same glory that God sees them. As we speak that over them, they will automatically be steered in that direction.

I am careful in my writing. When my words get tangled up in “nots”, I carefully replace them with ones that construct my message. My backspace button gets a heavy workout, but the finished product seen by others focuses on a positive thought.

Regular life is more difficult than writing, but why can’t we use a mental backspace button? We can deconstruct flawed images of the people in our lives and replace them with ones that God ordained.

I dream that my writing will motivate people, so I choose my words and images carefully. Ironically, it is me that is initially impacted. I am the first person to be affected by the hope I seek to share, and it is contagious.

The world of tomorrow is being built in our minds today. What kind of world do you see?

Prophesy the hope, joy, and love that you envision. Speak over people the greatness that you see in them. Be the voice of truth.