Snap OUT of it !

(frightening) Image source: http://bit.ly/xq5Edt

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

For though we walk and live in the flesh, we are not fighting according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. The weapons we use in our fight are not made by humans and the weapons of our warfare are not physical, not weapons of flesh and blood, but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of the strongholds of the mind. With them we destroy defenses, that is, theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away, captive into the obedience of Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.

I know I won't shut up about Joyce Meyer's The Battlefield of the Mind, but it IS Lent and, as far as I'm willing to understand it THIS year (lol), it is the time, as Eucharist Prayer C instructs us, "...in the fullness of time, [to] put all things in subjection under [the] Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where ... we may enter the everlasting heritage of [God's] sons and daughters ..." Oh, how I've always LOVED the image of "that heavenly country" ...

I got ahold of Joyce's teaching in '93, really when I needed it, and I've tried really hard ever since to spring out of bed with a mind focused on God. I'm normally irritatingly cheerful in the morning, but I didn't really realise how costic some of my inner-running dialogue was. Because I'm not a Negative Nelly it wasn't about doom and gloom and how I'm going to make people suffer, but it was filled with judgements, of myself and of others.

I start a new job this morning, praise the name of God, and, because I'm just so darned excited, I only got about two hours sleep last night. That nap occurred just before I needed to be up ironing and I was half-way through the second sleeve before I realised I was ripping the non-existent ass off an actress I judge VICIOUSLY, because I've had some not-so-nice run-ins with her and "hear" a lot of viciousness about her, and it's only because I saw her on TV last night. WHAT A WAY TO WASTE my THOUGHTS ! I was wasting a half hour (a) on a fictional character, (b) on someone I will probably never interact with again, and (c) I SHOULD have been spending that time in prayer about the poor souls in Kentucky WHO. HAVE. NOTHING. let alone have a new job, let alone have a shirt to iron, let alone have an IRON or an IRONING board, let alone have a ROOF under which they could iron ! As Bugs Bunny would say, "What a maroon!"

Early in the morning, from our first blink, we need to bring our thoughts under subjection of Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah. We need to bring life and light and blessing to each thought that passes through our blessed brains and, as we think beautiful things so shall we flow with beautiful things coming out of our hearts, coming out of our spirits, and, most importantly, coming out of our mouths.

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O God, who has filled the world with beauty:
Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works;
that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve
you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all
things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.