Where'd That Thought Come From? (Part 1 of 2)

Did you ever have one of those moments where you're completely caught off guard by a thought that came into your mind?  You find yourself asking, "Where did that thought come from?"  Then you pause for a moment to try and figure it out...sometimes withougt success.  Well, you're not alone.  We have all had that experience - myself included.  It prompted me to search the Scriptures to find out where those pesky "boxes" originated.

What I found was that Scripture really does match our reality.  (That's good, since the Bible is inspired by God.)  There are some thought-sources that we can see or identify outside ourselves.  There are also thoughts that originate in places or ways that we can't see.

The ones we can "see" fall into two basic categories:  The World and People.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2a NIV)

Any thought (box) that comes into your mind that cannot be attributed to a single person or source would be referred to as "The World."  Thoughts from the world can be either good or bad thoughts.  The internet would be a perfect example of "The World."  Here's another example.

Whenever I drive from my current home in Valparaiso, IN to my birth-city of Cincinnati, OH to visit family, I pass a billboard advertising a Log-Home company.  Now I've wanted to live in a log-home since I was a little boy.  I've rented a log-home for vacation one time.  I currently don't have money nor do I foresee in the near future a budget that would allow me to purchase a log home.  Therefore, I don't want to be tempted by a log-home sign.  Who do I blame for putting that log-home sign right in my path every time I drive down the interstate to visit family?  Do I blame the log-home company for purchasing this advertising venue?  Do I blame the advertising agency for putting the graphics together for the billboard?  Do I blame the iron workers who built the billboard or the farmer who allowed them to build on his land?  The list of possibilities goes on and on and on.  That's "The World"...the source of my thoughts.

Temptation to do wrong is inevitable, but how terrible it will be for the person who does the tempting.  (Matthew 18:7b NLT)

People feed us thoughts all the time as well.  The talk to us, make videos for us, and even write blogs for us to read!  People are different from the world because we know where the thought (box) is coming from: the person responsible.  Their words and even actions "speak" to us and cause "Will" to process thought after thought after thought.  Sometimes those "boxes" are good.  Sometimes...not so much.  Even someone striving to only give "good boxes" can make a mistake.  Even someone who lives to be "bad to the bone" may "slip up" at times and give good advice.  People are sources of good and bad thoughts.

At least with "visible" sources like The World and People, you know where the thought came from.  Your next step will be deciding what to do with it.