Clear Your Mind

The older I get, the more I realise, unashamedly, that I am my mother’s daughter. I have my mother’s cleaning bug, oh yes, I do. No matter where I am, the impulsive desire to create order by cleaning is present. This is more pronounced in my home, of course, and I am teaching Caleb and Chiara to value clean and orderly spaces. Back in 2004, I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa for the first time. My mother put my sister and me on a bus in Lusaka and sent us on our way. I must admit she was very brave. I was only fourteen and my sister was nine. What? It sounds almost insane to even acknowledge but times were very different back then. My sister and I relished the adventure and have some very fond memories of that trip. One such memory that has stayed with me and comes to mind every single time I get that cleaning bug, is something my late cousin, Jamil (May His Soul Rest In Peace), said to me. I met him for the very first time during that visit and we became fast friends. He was the exact opposite of me, personality-wise, yet when he said what he said, which I’ll get to in a moment, I realised that we truly were cousins, cut from different edges of the same cloth. On one of our random walks around his neighbourhood, Jamil got off talking about litter, yes, litter. I can’t remember if he noticed something and picked it up but my memory begins with him passionately expressing his displeasure of litter. He said he didn’t understand how people could go about littering in their neighbourhood. He went further by telling me that in school all his friends knew not to litter around him, especially after he gave them all a lecture about how keeping one’s space clean speaks to the love they have for themselves. “There is no way you can say you love yourself when right where you’re sitting there are candy and crisp wrappers!” He said what he said and carried on with his off-the-cuff tour of his neighbourhood.

That statement has stayed with me, all these years later, and I heard myself tell Caleb and Chiara the same thing when I recently got home to find crisp and Kinder Joy wrappers all over the living room carpet. They both apologised and cleared up, neither of them curious about this truth nugget I was dropping. At least that is what I thought… Every evening, before bedtime, I make Caleb and his sister pack up all their toys from the living room floor and pack them properly in their room. They do it without question every single day yet last week, for the first time, Caleb asked why. “Because when Mommy and Daddy come to sit and watch TV, we want the space to be clean so we can relax. We don’t want to sit in your mess,” I said to him. “Because you love yourselves?” he asked. “Yes, my darling, because we love ourselves,” I replied, smiling at him as he picked up another batch of his toys and purposefully strutted to his bedroom to pack them away. He is his mother’s son and I am my cousin’s cousin.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” ~ Colossians 3:2-3 (ESV)

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” ~ Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

“And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind, having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude, and put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, Godlike in true righteousness and holiness.” ~ Ephesians 4:23-23 (AMPC)

Cleaning helps me destress. I’m not sure what the magic is but as I clear a room, a drawer, a tabletop or even my handbag, I can feel my mind clearing as well. It’s comforting and gives me back some sense of control when I feel like everything is “happening” around me. What steps do you take when your mind is cluttered or clouded? Whatever method you choose to use, I am sure you can agree that once the dust settles and you can think straight again, it is a very liberating feeling. In a world crammed with choices and distractions, the ability to clear our minds is necessary for leading a purposeful life. This practice is beautifully linked to our ability to navigate the complexities of decision-making and live a life aligned with God’s plan. This being so, I have a few things to highlight that I believe can keep us motivated to consistently clear our minds.

Re-focus of your mind

The verse in Colossians serves as a guide to what we should focus our minds on. It urges us to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. Our minds are constantly bombarded yet even in the midst of it all God wants us to stay focused on eternal values. We can shed the confusion that often clouds our judgment by aligning our thoughts with heavenly principles. In our quest for clarity, we must understand that Joyce Meyer was right, the mind is a battlefield. Negative thoughts, worries, and distractions can distort our minds and affect our decision-making process. Philippians 4:8 reminds us to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. By consciously choosing to dwell on these virtues, we can train our minds to discern the best course of action as the Holy Spirit finds room to Counsel us. When we intentionally nurture positive thoughts, the fog dissipates, revealing the path ahead. And isn’t that one of the best feelings ever?

Sharpen Your Mind

As believers, we are urged to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. This renewal process involves actively engaging with our thoughts and allowing God’s truth to shape our minds. To sharpen our minds means inviting God’s wisdom into our decision-making. It also involves seeking out the wise counsel of other God-fearing people who love you and can speak into certain decisions we need to make. Just as a blade requires sharpening to cut through obstacles, our minds need constant refinement to cut through the clutter of indecision. Delving into Scripture, seeking knowledge, engaging in prayer and wise counsel are essential tools for this sharpening process. By infusing our minds with God’s Word, we gain a much clearer perspective and can make decisions that align with His will.

Seek peace of mind

Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us not to be anxious about anything but to pray and present our requests to God. This practice leads to a peace that surpasses all understanding. Seeking peace in decision-making involves surrendering our worries and uncertainties to God, trusting that He holds the ultimate plan. Self-leadership goes hand in hand with peace of mind yet being able to hear God’s voice clearly can’t happen when our emotions are speaking the loudest. This is why the privilege of going into God’s presence to unpack our emotions has been afforded to us. This practice offers a transformative solution in a world where decision fatigue and anxiety abound. By cultivating a habit of prayer and trust, we allow God’s peace to guard our hearts and minds. This peace then becomes a guiding force as we navigate life’s choices, enabling us to make decisions with confidence rather than fear.

Submit your plans to God:

As we clear our minds and become more confident in our self-leadership, it’s vital to remember that our plans are subject to God’s sovereign will. This means aligning our plans with God’s purpose for our lives. Submitting our plans to God requires humility and a willingness to surrender our desires to His wisdom. It’s a recognition that God’s ways are higher than ours and that His plan ultimately leads to our greatest fulfilment. As we yield our plans to His guidance, we find assurance that our decisions are grounded in His purpose. This assurance creates a cycle of fog-clearing peace of mind.

In a world where our minds are bombarded with attention-seeking stimuli, the process of clearing our minds is not merely a mental exercise but a spiritual journey. Just like clearing our physical spaces can do wonders in clearing our minds, clearing our minds can do wonders in directing our lives. By re-focusing our minds on things above, sharpening our thoughts through Scripture and prayer, seeking God’s peace, and submitting our plans to His purpose, we are well set up to navigate life’s complexities with clarity, purpose, and an unwavering trust in God’s guidance.