The mind is a dangerous place to be in when we’re alone with our thoughts. The mind controls how we understand or perceive things to be. Just like Overthinking, we cannot help but to ponder about the “what ifs” and “what could be.” Sometimes it is easier to drain out the noise by listening to music full blast, alcohol consumption or drug abuse, forcing ourselves to sleep longer than usual, and/or going to social events to meet new people so we can distract ourselves from our issues that we have at home. We look for every possible escape so we don’t have to be alone with tortuous imagery and/or words that are prevalent inside our heads. The harder we try to ignore them, the stronger they get (Unforgivable Sin).
Our thoughts can make us feel so low even when we have things to be grateful for. When our mind is set on a certain emotion that is negative, coming out of that headspace is harder because we are already emotionally and mentally weak. We start to feel that there is no point in trying because our hope continues to dwindle, to the point that it is nonexistent. We might as well wallow in despair because no one cares enough to realize that we are suffering internally.
The mind can either be are biggest asset or our biggest enemy. If we can envision all the endless possibilities that we can gain and the goals that we can achieve, our mind will drive us to try to accomplish everything that we set forth for ourselves. Our mind will bring out our creative sides and will help us seek different road maps and alternatives that can achieve goals that may not be so easy to attain when we use a certain approach. We can piece together a thorough solution to an issue if we tap in and use our minds to the best of our abilities. However, when we hit a low point in our lives, all of that eagerness to be the best version of ourselves, go out the window. There is no motivation whatsoever. No drive. Ambition. Our mind is plagued with negative views we hold about ourselves and we can’t seem to get out of that roadblock because our attention is focused and has zeroed in on the issues that are keeping us stumped in our progression. We’ve all been through unfortunate events that left us hurting and/or tainted our beliefs that we previously held to a higher standard. It’s either our mind suppresses those traumatizing memories or makes us relive them by making these thoughts randomly pop up in our heads. In that case, the biggest struggle we have is ourselves.
Being hit from all angles and in every direction by the woes of life will inevitably make us feel spiteful about our existence. Depending on our minds and the thought that enters them, we are defeated and remain in that state of mind or we try to pick ourselves up and put up a good fight – at least we are trying to persevere. Having a mindset that is able to withstand the negative forces that are against us, is a mindset that will always prevail in the end. A mindset that never falters, even if it has been temporarily put down by various negative experiences, will always find a way to hold on to any positive thing left – no matter how small that positive thing is. In my opinion, I feel like this mindset can only be attained if the person has seen and been through what most people wouldn’t dare to imagine. This mindset has seen and lived through the evil in this world and know what it feels like to be/feel empty with no firm foundation to fall back on. They have been to the lowest of the lows and they have nothing to lose. So since they’ve been at the bottom pit of darkness, the only way they can go is up. For those who are able to acquire that way of thinking after being through the worst, will never be put that low again because their mindset will not permit that to ever happen again. But, life is unpredictable and acquiring that kind of mindset I believe needs the grace of the Lord. Most definitely. I don’t see how this mindset can be acquired in any other way if this person was not touched by the grace of love of the Lord to continue on in the face of evil.
For me, as mentioned before, I tend to overthink and play out fake scenarios in my head about certain things and with certain people. I think we all do these to a certain degree. Either out of boredom or we want to escape the reality of things and imagine a world that we would much rather be a part of. For me, it’s both. But truthfully speaking, as mentioned in the blog Unforgivable Sin, my thoughts has always been something that drove me crazy. How easy our emotions can be used to hurt us, how easy our thoughts can play tricks on us – making us feel dirty and nasty, and how vulnerable we can be when it comes to thinking that everything that goes in and out of our heads are our fault. The devil knows how to flip things on us to make it seem like we are the cause of our afflictions or we are the cause of despicable things that go in and out of our heads. We will never suspect that he is behind this because we are not spiritually aware of what he is capable of. We think our afflictions are flesh related but what we go through can be directly/indirectly influenced by spiritual warfare that is exacerbated by the devil or his agents. In that case, a spiritual war cannot be fought by physical or fleshly means, the Lord has to intervene if we even have a chance against these unclean spirits. Yes, sometimes these physical resources might help alleviate the pain but the pain itself will never fully disappear if we do not fight fire with fire. A spiritual war must be fought spiritually. No other substitute will be sufficient enough.
For my situation, it took a while for me to realize that these unwanted and vile thoughts were not of my own. These thoughts were fiery darts of the devil and/or his agents to make me believe that I am doomed and destined for Hellfire. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted and suffered for months (and I still suffer from these thoughts occasionally) and it mainly had to do with me being unprepared for what is to come for new Believers in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I do not think it will be possible to totally rid myself of them because of how overly emotionally my conscience is. But in the end, my headspace significantly improved because I’ve cried and laid my worries at the foot of my Lord and He has saved me EVERY SINGLE TIME. He has graced me with His mercy and comfort to not allow these thoughts to mentally and emotionally break me down again as it did before. I will always be eternally grateful for my Lord because He has NEVER led me astray.
Some of you might not understand why I have this much faith in this Spirit or some of you may question my mental state as it is now because I believe in such a Spirit, but I can never truly put into words or articulate my feelings, no matter how hard I try, as to why my faith in Him is strong. I guess it is something that the Lord has to personally reveal to you in order for some of you to understand what I mean. You’ll know when something exceptional has happened when you encounter the goodness of the Lord. It is evident. Undeniable. To put it into words what I feel now and how I felt before the Lord cannot be done because some of you have not walked in my shoes to comprehend why I believe what I believe. And that is okay. Hopefully one day, the Lord will reveal Himself to you as He revealed Himself to me. But in the end, please do not deny His existence just because you have never personally encountered Him. That can be constituted as ignorance or a flawed in reasoning. Just because you THINK you have not found explicit proof about something, that does not automatically point or confirm the evidence that whatever it is in question, has in fact, never existed. There is sooooooooo much that we do not know. We cannot just assume an answer or make an “estimated guess” for something because it is easier than investigating or researching a potential answer for whatever it is that is confusing us.
Sorry if that seemed off topic, I tend to go out on a limb that here and there.
Back to thoughts and the mind.
Thankfully, my focus and attention returns back to the Lord when I feel frustrated about my inability to quiet my head or control my thoughts. I start reminding myself that the Lord is stronger than my thoughts and He is my Redeemer, my Savior. There is no sin in this world that the Lord cannot forgive and there is no thought that the Lord cannot cleanse. Having an overactive and hyperemotional conscience makes it difficult to fully rely on the Lord to calm my spirit and mind. This struggle is flesh related because we as humans want to be able to control things on our own. It will take a while to wean myself off of that control and let the Lord take over completely but one day I will relinquish that authority to better serve myself in the long run. Remembering that my Lord will never forsake those that love Him is a biblical fact that keeps me going.
It is an ongoing battle but I feel within my soul that these thoughts will eventually cease and they will be a thing of the past. I am certain that that is the case because I have an inkling that I will prevail with the help of my Lord.
As mentioned before, trying to fleshly solve our issues that are spiritual in nature will prove to be futile. Not to say that EVERY issue that we internally face are spiritual in nature BUT SOME of them are. That is when discernment comes into play. We need to be able to isolate issues that can be better managed by supplements or a prescription from a doctor from spiritual issues that cannot be overcome unless we receive help from the Most High. That is why trying to mix one with another, might leave us in a state worse than before. What can be solved physically has to be matched with physical solutions, and the same applies for our spiritual problems. Of course, all of this is solely based on my opinion and the knowledge I have about God. In the end, our minds needs to better cared for in order for us to prevail against thoughts that are demeaning and crippling. If we let our negative thoughts get the best of us, who knows how long we can endure such troubling notions. Optimistic thinking, meditating on the Good News (Gospel), praying, remaining empowered and strong, and engaging in activities that are worthwhile are all things I would suggest for anyone who is in a bad headspace.
You may leave a question, comment, and/or suggestions if you so choose. Thanks for reading. God bless.
