Is my personal life and mind personal?
Many people put online all of their personal thoughts, information, and well anything and everything. From what I ate today for lunch, where I had dinner, to the entire guest list of the people I went to the movies with. All of this wrapped in a nice little package, with the picture of your experience, so you can share it with me and the whole world wide web.
Who cares some of you may be thinking. This is something that I have struggled with deciding to write a blog page. I have always been private and until recently, I didn’t have anything online. I have always felt my private life is exactly that, private.
So how do I draw the line? How do I continue to have my privacy and post the thoughts from my mind, the one place I can or think I can keep private. I am not sure where the balance is but I am sure I will have to learn it. Thankfully, I have a great protector and I do it for Him.
There is a verse I want to examine with you that will bring to light the fact that if you consider yourself, like I do, to be a private person or you are the complete opposite, you will see your thoughts and your heart are not as private as you think they are.
Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the One to who we are accountable.”
Let’s unwrap this verse. Nothing is the first word you need to see. Let’s underline. Nothing in ALL creation. Your thoughts, the innermost depths of your mind, the parts you think no one will ever see or know. Your heart, the truest feelings of your inner being: the pains, the agonies, the secrets, and the victories, He knows.
Nothing is hidden from God, He knows. Does that make you reconsider a few things, it does me. Does it cause you to put your guard up or does it make you consider maybe your thoughts right now?
The next part of the verse we can figure out. This part is not about physically being naked. (Don’t worry he created you, He knows what you look like and He loves all of you.) It means you can’t hide anything from Him. The most vulnerable parts of you are exposed: it may be the thoughts in your mind, the feelings in your heart, or the actions you do.
Finally, He is the One to who we are accountable. This part makes people squirmish. People that don’t want to believe in God certainly don’t want to be accountable to God. Sometimes even people that do believe in God or call themselves Christians don’t really act as if they are accountable to anyone.
The bottom line is this. God knows all our thoughts. He knows all we’re doing and we will be accountable for it all. Sounds pretty condemning. Keep reading there is Hope.
What can we do?
The great news is this: regardless of all our thoughts and actions to this point, He loves you anyway. God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Not when we were good or had perfect thoughts and actions. In the middle of it ALL, He forgave us. He went to the cross and He took it ALL, because He loves YOU.
Make today count. Leave it at the cross. Surrender to a Creator that made you and knows all there is to know about you and loves you anyway. Then when you have to face your own thoughts and mind you can be clear that you made it all count for Him.
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This is so true. My thoughts and feelings should be private. I should hold my tongue more and let Him relieve my anxiety, fears, etc. Trust more that I know He will take control of the wheel. As a Christian, I know that my thoughts and heart don't always reflect what it should. Thank you for sharing your private thoughts, reminding us that ours aren't as private as they should be with the world. God hears, God knows and listens to our every move, thought and action. We are accountable to Him. I had this thought today. Would I allow the boys to marry a woman who acted, spoke and treated my husband the way I do? I said to my husband would I want the boys to treat their wives the way he does. Scary thought at times, other times, yes. I am raising boys, trying to show them how God lives them through action, words and deeds. God knows those desires, but am I reflecting that? Thanks for these thought. It stirs up a lot of thinking.
I had these thoughts this morning as I am hustling kids out the door. The closer I get to My Lord, the more my faults become clearer. That can be intimidating because He is perfect. I know He loves me and wants me to serve Him so I have to keep my actions and my thoughts and my words in check. Especially when it is the hardest. Thanks for sharing.
That verse is a needed reminder that in everything I do, I need to honor the Lord. I will be accountable for all of my thoughts and actions, and that can be a bit scary. That is why I need to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). That can be a goal for me this week. I need to really think about everything I do and remember that it is not hidden from the Lord, even if it is hidden from everyone else. Thanks for sharing Jaime!
Great article, Jaime. And great "thoughts." 🙂 It reminded me of when I worked with special ed kids who were mentally challenged. I often tried to teach them that although I had many thoughts running through my head, it was not always appropriate to voice them out loud. The said everything and anything they thought. How true, God knows every thought I have even the unlovely, private, evil things I keep to myself. Yet, He loves and forgive us. Amazing Grace!
Thanks for stopping by. I was a special education teacher for five years and I know exactly what you are talking about. One thing I always loved about them was their ability to voice their concerns without inhibition. Although not always appropriate, it is what made them who who were.