As I Think, So Am I

People age. We grow older. It is part of becoming more mature. How we mature and age, however, is completely up to each one of us individually. Every one ages; not every one gets old. Some people, no matter what their date of birth, are full of youthful vigor and vitality. Why is it that some in their 100s laugh with abandon and delight in performing daily tasks while other 50 somethings moan and groan barely able to drag their aching bodies through basic living? What makes the difference? Diet? Exercise? Vitamins? Maybe. All choices of life certainly play a part in a person's wholeness, but is it all physical, or do the spirit and soul also have something to do with this?  There is a scripture verse that seems to give insight into the question of why some people seem to fall apart when not really that old and other individuals remain youthful clear into their advanced years of living.

Proverbs 23:7 is a portion of scripture talking about manipulative people who tell you to eat and drink but in their heart they are secretly counting how much the meal they are serving you is costing them. However, there is a line in this verse that I feel provides insight into other situations as well. "As a man thinks in his heart so is he."  How do I think of myself? When I exert myself more physically than normal and feel the effects for a couple of days do I view the pain and discomfort of muscles unaccustomed to use as proof that I am "not as young as I once was" or simply what happens when I do something new? Do such aches motivate me to increase my strength by increasing my level of activity or do they prove I am "getting old" and consequently need to slow down a bit? How do I view myself when my body responds and reacts differently than it did when I was younger? Does this cause me to see myself as old or do I recognize I am in a different season and need to adapt and/or learn new ways of maintaining health?

How do I see myself, and more importantly, what do I think of myself? "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." are the words that came to me when I was pondering why some people remain youthful until the moment they move from this world into the next and why others seem to become an old person with the first ache their aging bodies experience. The longer I considered the possible connection between how a person thinks of him/her self and  how he/she ages, the more convinced I became such a connection is real. Not only do I believe there is a valid connection, but I also believe how a man or woman sees him or her self determines how old they behave and feel every bit as much, if not more, than their physical condition does. "Mind over matter" seems to be quite valid in the matter of aging.

Before it is thought I am saying that one's physical condition has no effect at all on the aging process, let us pause a moment for me to clearly state a person's physical condition definitely has a bearing in the aging process. I am merely considering whether or not how a person thinks has anything to do with why some people seem to be so much younger than other people who are the same age or younger. How a person thinks about them self and life in general seems to be a major difference between youthful vitality and creaking age. Perhaps I should provide a couple examples.

Our family has a neighbor who is 70 something. Our neighbor has been actively ranching all of her life. She loves being outdoors and until earlier this summer worked out with the cattle every day. After several weeks of having to remain indoors, our neighbor was able to return to work out of doors. She was overjoyed and felt like she had been freed from a prison! Weeks of "taking it easy" had left their mark and our neighbor reported that her muscles weren't used to being outside working. She sure hoped it didn't take them long to get used to it though. "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." Our neighbor didn't for a moment consider her aching muscles to be an indicator she was getting old or that she might not be able to continue working as normal. She merely hoped it didn't take her body long to get used to working again.

Another family friend in her 60s regularly walks or runs several miles daily. She is very active and never considers not participating in any physical activity with her children and grandchildren. That she is the grandmother of the group has no bearing whatsoever on what she does or does not do. If it looks fun, and she wants to try something, she does. On a recent trip, she went parasailing. Not once did it cross her mind that not every 60 something-year-old woman would do such an adventurous thing.  "As a man thinks in his heart so is he."  Fully adventurous and ready to live her own life to the full, this same friend can snuggle in with a small child and a storybook to create a lovely sight to behold. She can fly into "mama bear mode" with the best mother or grandmother. She delights in living. "As a man thinks in his heart so is."

There is one other commonality between our neighbor and friend. Both our neighbor and our friend have experienced seasons when they were limited in their physical mobility. Our neighbor has had difficulty with her knees and had one replaced and the other is not behaving very well either. Her desire to live her life outside working with her cattle as she desires is so great she does everything she can to continue doing so. Our friend was in an accident several years ago that left her with the possibility of never walking again. That experience put a resolve inside of her to fiercely protect and guard her physical ability to take care of herself and move independently. Life is a priceless gift, a treasure not to be taken for granted. Our neighbor and our friend view their physical mobility and ability to "get around" independently a great gift that neither lady wishes to be without, ever. Being able to live the life they desire fully, for themselves, is worth working for.

Rising in the early morning hours to walk and/or run several miles is a small price to pay if it contributes to her overall health says our friend. She well remembers the days spent in a wheelchair having her most basic needs taken care of by others. Being able to care for herself is something she never again wants to be without. Not being able to be out and about in her cattle is not a fond memory for our neighbor. She feels as if she has been set free from prison to no longer be housebound. I could study the lives of these dear women and come to the conclusion that the amount of physical activity is what keeps these ladies youthful, and I do think that plays a part, but I truly feel their level of physical activity is more determined by the way they think than the other way around. I think the way they view themselves and life is what motivates them to be physically active. Maybe I am wrong, but maybe "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." is about more than a stingy manipulative person. Maybe it is quite literally true in every area of our lives.

As I wonder about these things, I can't help but think about what type of person I want to be. What sort of life do I want to live? How do I want to live? Do I want to live at all? These are the questions I think each of us get to ask ourselves at some point. The sooner the better I'm a thinkin'. After answering these questions, perhaps each of us can prayerfully consider what we need to do to live that life and be that person. Once we determine what needs to be done, then we can face one of the most telling questions of all, am I willing to do what needs doing to live the life I desire and be the person I long to be? Is the life I want and the person I want to be, the life and person God desires for me? What does God desire for me?

Whether a friend, a neighbor, or someone I haven't yet met, if you would like to join me in pursuing a life fully lived, please do. You are welcome to look yourself in the face and heart and ask yourself hard questions while I face myself. Feel free to come alongside me as I get honest with myself about myself. I can't promise the journey will be easy, but I have a tingling in my knower that makes me think it will be decidedly worth it. No matter what happens, I don't want it to be possible for anyone to say I didn't try to live and live well. I will fall, but may I always get back up. I will make mistakes, but may I always keep trying. I will say things I oughtn't to have said, but may I always speak up for truth.

This blog is named Abundance House, yet  rarely do I make choices of abundance for all areas of my life. I focus on the spirit a lot here because I am a spirit, but the spirit is not all there is. I also have a soul containing my mind, will, and emotions, and I live in a body. My spirit, soul, and body interact and work together as one just as the Father, Spirit, Son are three yet one. I am created in their image. If one part of me is functioning from a place of lack and/or poverty, the other two areas are affected. My spirit may be willing to live fully but if my soul and body are not strong, I can't live fully whole.

Because I can no longer in good conscience continue to blog from a place of partial abundance when the blog is titled Abundance House, I have invited any who wish to travel with me on a journey. I desire the true abundance of God which is a complete, whole fullness in every area spirit, soul, and body. If I am going to write for a blog named Abundance House then I need to be seeking complete abundance at my house. So, that is what I am going to do.

This is where the hard questions and answers will come in to play. In order to live fully abundantly, I will have to make honest assessments regarding the various areas of living. I have an opportunity to be completely honest with myself and then choose what to do with the discoveries God leads me to find. Yes, this journey will be made in Him. He is the way, the truth, the life. I can only discover truth if I am travelling with Him.

Prayers for those who choose to join me in the adventure towards complete abundance, and prayerful blessings for those who will make this decision further down the road. From my Abundance House to yours. May we learn to think in our hearts what God thinks of us.

Abundantly Blessed











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