January 26: Insight Post by Kim Feld
Monday Insight Post
by Kim Feld
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (NLT)
I have often been told that I should not be a poker player. Apparently, my facial expressions are a pretty good indicator of what I’m thinking, regardless of the words coming out of my mouth. I love that David, who wrote Psalm 19, included words and thoughts in verse 14 because they aren’t always the same, although our thoughts often inform our speech. David is striving to have both his words and his thoughts please God.
Those thoughts that we allow to circulate on repeat in our minds are the equivalent of meditation. Whatever takes up the most space in my mind is the “meditation of my heart.” This meditation shapes us in more ways than we may realize.
For some of us, the words we speak to ourselves are much harsher than anything we would ever say to someone else. This negative self-talk becomes a meditation as it is rehearsed over and over. Others may have different thoughts on replay that can shape their outlook.
The words below have been attributed to many different people, but the one I like the best is associated with the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
Sowing refers to the process of planting a seed that leads to its growth. Growth happens when the seed is tended to and nurtured. The same is true of what we meditate on. Rusty’s message yesterday spoke to the value of gratitude, which is such a powerful antidote to the negative that is so easy to dwell on.
What words and thoughts are you dwelling on today? What seeds are you sowing in your heart, and how will they inform the words you speak and the actions you might take today? Taking in God’s word, reflecting on it, pondering it, and doing your best to apply it are ways to please God and keep your heart and mind in a good place.
8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT)
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
www.newhope.org