Colossians 3:2 (ESV)
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
This isn't a passive statement, but rather one the requires a positive action. It is an imperative, a command. Set your mind. Do this. To me, this is powerful because it is a direction, something I can do. Often when I think about keeping my mind on The Lord, it is more like the second part of the verse, the don't do.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
This isn't a passive statement, but rather one the requires a positive action. It is an imperative, a command. Set your mind. Do this. To me, this is powerful because it is a direction, something I can do. Often when I think about keeping my mind on The Lord, it is more like the second part of the verse, the don't do.
I am an educator by profession and training. I might even venture to say, by nature. It is an integral part of who I am as an adult. In particular, I have spent the past 12 years working in the field of special education. There are some strategies that good teachers pick up along the way. One thing is that you want to give and post examples that are right. It is a better option to only show words spelled correctly when teaching spelling, rather than giving options of missspellings and asking the student choose the right one. When you are helping a student to learn appropriate behaviors, you need to do just that-- teach them what they ought to be doing, avoid only telling them what they are doing wrong. You need to present the positive choices. You need to present the proper direction and example.
All of that to say, rather than just telling me to not think about things of this world, this verse tells me the appropriate replacement behavior: set your mind on things that are above. It has purpose and direction. When I reflect back to earlier this week when I began pondering what it means to have my mind stayed on Him, I realize this verse gives me a purposeful direction on how to achieve that end.
Did any of you look up "stayed?" Did you think about what it means? The simplest definition is just to remain. There isn't a complicated meaning. But think about how hard it is to stay in one place for any length of time. If you are anything like me, you will find that to be difficult. I can sit still (and be completely lazy), no doubt. But long term, I get restless. I like change and new challenges. So here's what I realized. My challenge is two-fold. First, I do need to work on remaining focused and avoid distractions; but also, I think I need to expand the breadth of my knowledge of things above, of God. This way, I can have a variety of things to think about, my restless mind can wander around some, yet remain fixed on Him.
Did any of you look up "stayed?" Did you think about what it means? The simplest definition is just to remain. There isn't a complicated meaning. But think about how hard it is to stay in one place for any length of time. If you are anything like me, you will find that to be difficult. I can sit still (and be completely lazy), no doubt. But long term, I get restless. I like change and new challenges. So here's what I realized. My challenge is two-fold. First, I do need to work on remaining focused and avoid distractions; but also, I think I need to expand the breadth of my knowledge of things above, of God. This way, I can have a variety of things to think about, my restless mind can wander around some, yet remain fixed on Him.
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