Streams of Thought

Did you see the orange water in the mine spill in Colorado as it colors the pristine waters of the west? It is sickening. You wonder what it is doing to the wildlife which depends on these rivers for life. It makes you wonder how people along those rivers and streams will be affected in the days to come. Will their drinking water be contaminated? Will they have respiratory problems? Is this just a temporary problem or will it have long term effects? Will there be more birth defects in the future? So many questions flood into our minds.

But what about the streams of thought that course through our land? What if we could visibly see these streams turn orange at the first sign of toxic thinking? Would we be shocked at what we see? Would we be afraid that our mental environment may be changed forever, and that the effects on our existence might be irreversible? What level of alarm would we experience? Can we agree on some things here?

1) Thoughts matter. Do they? Does it really matter what we think? Is one thought as good as another thought? Are all thoughts equally true? And do thoughts make any difference? Do the collective thoughts of a society affect the course of that society? Can we agree that thoughts do matter?

2) Thoughts have consequences. Do they? Does thought precede action? Do we think it before we do it? I know some say I did it before I thought, but is that really true? Perhaps we do things before we think it through, but can we do anything without first thinking it? Are the consequences of differing thought equally healthy, functional, and reasonable? Should we judge the validity of a thought by its outcome?

3) Thoughts are contagious. My thoughts can infect your thoughts. I can persuade you to think what I think. A thought can become a part of societal thinking, something commonly accepted. Thoughts rarely remain isolated. They are shared and often accepted, and believed. These thoughts become values, and these values change society.

 

In the days to come, I plan to share some thoughts with you about common thoughts we hear expressed today. I want to shine the light on these thoughts, inspect them, challenge them, and see if they are worthy of our great nation, and more importantly worthy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who will not allow their thoughts to be challenged are in grave danger of being close-minded, biased, and inbred with untested thinking. I will make my case clear. I believe the greatest mind is the mind of Christ. His thoughts above all thoughts are worthy to be a standard by which we judge all things. In fact, I believe all our thoughts will be one day judged by the standard of His thoughts. I hope you will take this journey with me, and share this with others. Come let us reason together!