Chapter 9 – A Wandering, Wondering Mind

First I learned that a busy mind is not normal. My mind should be at rest, but alert and receptive. Today, I discover that an inability to concentrate is a sure sign of the Devil’s attack.

A wandering mind is useless. My mind goes all over the place. I might set out to think about one thing and never once give it attention. Some days I determine to talk to God as I walk the dog, (sounds like the title of a book …), but I’m not even 2 houses away from my own and my mind has already found better things to stew over.

I have not trained my mind to concentrate. Oh, there are some activities that focus my mind, but all in all, my mind puts my hands on autopilot and enjoys its own reveries. There are days that I don’t remember driving to school. We just appear there. Talk about dangerous.

Reading is an activity that really demonstrates the problems of a wandering mind. We all have experienced the time when we finished a page and didn’t remember what we read. You might have read it several times and still had no comprehension. Reading comprehension is vital. There really is no other point to reading …

The title of this chapter wasn’t just written to be cute. A wondering mind is equally useless. How often do you “wonder” what time it is, “wonder” what you should fix for dinner, “wonder” what you should wear to work, “wonder” what others think about you? One of the meanings of the word “wonder” is “to doubt”.

Earlier, I read that a positive mind creates a positive life and a negative mind creates a negative life. How negative is a day filled with … I “doubt” the time, I “doubt” I have something to fix for dinner, I “doubt” I should wear this to work, I “doubt” others think very highly of me?

The Lord tells us to ask and we shall receive. The Lord tells us to believe with all our hearts, have faith in our beliefs, and we can move mountains.

I certainly cannot move mountains if I can so easily be puzzled over what time it is. If I am always asking such silly questions, how can I possibly have time to hold a firm belief in all that is important.

I will say that in the past week, I have noticed my mind is much more focused. It does not wander where it used to. Sometimes I attempt to make it wander and am amazed that it doesn’t do it willingly. There are just some places it is no longer willing to go. Hallelujah!

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:24 (ESV)