Can You Even Imagine?

I saw something the other day that said, “If you’re feeling lonely, dim all the lights and put on a nice horror movie. Soon enough you won’t feel alone anymore.” 

We laugh at things like this, but that statement is so true. Why? We obviously know that no one is in the house with us. After all, we just walked around and turned all of the lights down ourselves. The whole reason that we put a movie on in the first place was because we were feeling lonely...BECAUSE WE ARE ALONE IN THE HOUSE! Yet somehow, within a few minutes of watching a horror movie, we are convinced that we are no longer alone in the house. Why? Because our mind is a powerful force in our lives.

Our minds are quite possibly the biggest obstacle we will ever face, and controlling our minds is equally the hardest and most important thing we can do. 

There is a reason that the saying goes, “my mind is playing tricks on me.” No other body parts play tricks on us. I’ve never had my foot play a trick on me. My elbow has never played a trick on me. My mind on the other hand, that’s a different story. Good writers have caused my mind to play tricks on me countless times. It’s a fascinating thing, the mind, and our enemy will stop at nothing to try and control it in each and every one of us. 

When I think about being in the right mindset, I think about Job. Want to feel better about your life? Go read the book of Job. Good grief, that poor guy went through some mess. He lost his fortune, his children, his health...the list goes on and on. Yet through it all, Job remained faithful to God. How? 

How do you remain faithful to God when it feels like everything is being taken away from you for no reason?

Mindset. 

Let’s look at Job 1:6-12. 

All of the angels come to God one day to give Him a report, and Satan decides to tag along. God singles him out and asks what he has been up to, and he tells God that he has been roaming the earth checking things out (looking for someone to devour no doubt). Then God does something interesting. He points out Job to Satan and asks if he has considered him. God goes on to brag about Job and how honest and true he is, how he is completely faithful to God, and how he stays far away from evil. Seriously? Did You have to point that out? It’s like God threw down a challenge or something. 

Why would He do that? 

Mindset. 

God had such confidence in Job’s mindset, that He was not worried in the least about Job turning away from Him. He had so much faith that Job would remain focused on Him, that He wasn’t worried about losing Job to the enemy. Can you imagine? 

Can you imagine having a mindset that God had that much faith in? I certainly can’t. 

What would that even look like, and how did Job get there? 

Reading through the first chapter of Job leads me to believe that he got there by keeping his mind fixed on God and worshipping Him regularly. Verse 20 tells us that, after finding out that he had lost all of his children, all of his animals, and almost all of his workers pretty much at the same time, Job rips his clothes, shaves his head, and falls to the ground in worship saying, “God gives. God takes. God’s name be ever blessed.” (MSG) 

Don’t miss that. One of the first things that Job does after losing so much is worship God. 

Be honest, is your first response to overwhelming loss to fall down and worship God, acknowledging that God gave you all of the things that you just lost so He can take them all back whenever He sees fit? Mine is not. 

Chapter 1 ends by telling us that Job never sinned or blamed God through all of this. Not. One. Time. Job’s mind stayed focused on God and the truths about God. He never doubted God’s goodness. He never questioned God’s faithfulness. Why? Because he lived his life laser-focused on God and His truths. He saw everything through the filter of God’s goodness and truth. He filled his mind with the goodness and truth of God. He had a worship mindset and that affected every experience that he had, both good and bad. 

Can you imagine having the ability to go through life without being weighed down by all the negativity and hardship that comes at you each day? How freeing that must be. How incredible it would be to see the world, both the good and the bad, through the lens of God’s goodness and truth all the time. How much happier would you be? How much lighter would you feel? How much more hope would you have? Can you even imagine it?