“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25, ESV)
A young woman sat at her kitchen table with her head in her hands. Her face was contorted with worry and fear. Her mother walked in the kitchen to find young Brittany looking thus forlorn and said, “Honey, what’s wrong? Are you Ok?”
The young woman looked at her mother through tired eyes and said, “Mom, I love Tommy. I do. Very much. And he wants to marry me! But, I’m afraid to get married. So many of my friends who married at a young age now regret it. I don’t want to make a mistake. What do I do?”
The mother looked directly into her daughter’s eyes and said, “Do you love him; I mean really love him?” When the daughter nodded, the mother said, “Stop thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Stop worrying about the future which is clouded in uncertainty. Think with your heart, not with your head! If you love him and he loves you, if you both are willing to be there for better or for worse, just follow your heart. Marry the man. He seems good for you! Pray about it!”
With a sigh, the young woman said, “Thanks for the words, Mom. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I hear what you are saying. I want love. I want Tommy. I will pray, I promise. I just hope this isn’t a big mistake.”
There comes a time in every life when your head and your heart will be in conflict with one another. Your heart might be falling in love, while your head is reminding you of all the things that could go wrong if your trust is broken. Your empathetic heart might feel sorry for that boy whose bike was stolen. But your head might be reminding you that the boy should have locked his bike safely in the garage and not let it lie night after night on the front lawn! Sometimes, your heart might be pushing you to offer grace or forgiveness to a person who did you wrong. At the same time, your mind might be reminding you that to let a person off the hook for doing wrong might encourage the person to do even more wrongful acts! I have often found that the heart responds more to feelings and emotions, while the mind responds more to logic and factual information. Because the mind and the heart seem to operate with different influences, you should not be surprised when they conflict with one another, forcing you to have an intense internal psychological, emotional, or spiritual struggle!
In Romans, chapter 7, Paul explained how his sinful thoughts and emotions seemed to always erode his peace of mind. Paul admitted in the scripture for today that even when his mind wanted to “serve the law of God”, his flesh and heat and emotions wanted to do selfish things, act impulsively, and find pleasure in sin (Romans 7:25). This forced Paul into an internal struggle to find the right motivations for his decisions and beliefs. Have you experienced your own internal struggles within your mind and heart and soul?
At a doctor’s visit, Jerry was told that his blood pressure was sky high. As the doctor described why Jerry should lose weight, eat right, and take some medicine to not have a stroke, Jerry began to formulate all the changes had to happen in his life. He vowed to go for more walks after work. He read some articles on healthy dieting. Also, he began to take pills to lower his blood pressure. After three months, Jerry visited the doctor again. Jerry’s blood pressure had dropped some, but it was still too high. The doctor began to ask a series of questions about Jerry’s lifestyle and asked if there were some stresses in his life that might be making the blood pressure worse. Upon further self-examination, Jerry promised the doctor that he would make needed changes before the next office visit.
As Jerry laid awake at night a few days later, he realized something about his situation. Two years before, he had received a promotion at his place of employment. The new position came with a good-sized pay increase but also a lot of added responsibility. Jerry came to realize that his situation at work was taking a great toll upon his life. He would often work late. His manager was pushing all the employees to exhaustion to increase sales. The manager did this to promote himself and look good to the “higher ups”. All it did was make Jerry’s time at work much more stressful.
Jerry’s mind was stressed. While at work, he was under intense pressure. He often had headaches and backaches at work. He noticed that on his days off, he had a hard time keeping his mind from worry about work or fear for an upcoming deadline. Despite the big raise and much greater income potential, Jerry realized that the stress was getting to him. He needed a job change. He needed to change several things in his life.
After a short job-search, Jerry was interviewed at another company. The new job would necessitate a decrease in pay but would have much less responsibility. He knew the owner personally. They were good friends. Jerry’s head was saying he should keep his old job and the better pay and just learn to deal better with his stress. Jerry’s heart was telling him that he needed to have a less stressful working environment. In the end, after a whole lot of prayer, Jerry followed his heart and took the new job.
Even after making the switch to the new job, Jerry’s heart and mind continued to play “what if” games. What if he was making a mistake? Would he have enough money with his new job to pay for his son’s upcoming college bills? Maybe he shouldn’t have taken a new job with less pay. For several months, Jerry’s mind and heart continued to re-examine his decision. However, the change in jobs began to pay off. With the less stressful job, Jerry’s blood pressure dropped nicely. He was able to lose twenty pounds and ate healthier food. Looking back on it now, the job change was crucial. At the time, Jerry’s head and heart caused constant turmoil as the changes piled up in his life. Thankfully, everything worked out well for Jerry.
When your mind and heart begin to fight with one another, it may be difficult to make good decisions. When your emotions and fears take over your heart and mind, sleepless nights and regret and worry and second-guessing will eat away at your calm. In the midst of a battle between mind and heart, open up your soul to God. You need God’s Spirit to bring clarity. Direction from God becomes so important!
The apostle Paul often found that his mind would often hold tightly to God. However, he also found that sin often brought temptations, fired up his emotions, and tested his will. Paul was thankful that his love of God in Christ kept him on the right track. When internal struggles take their toll, turn your thoughts to Jesus. Keep listening for God’s direction. Hold on tightly to what is right by God. Don’t let temptations and emotions and sinful attitudes cloud your judgment. When internal struggles appear, God will be a great source of strength and encouragement. God’s Word will speak to you. Be careful who you listen to. Watch out for Satan’s little manipulations. Seek time alone with Jesus.
Internal struggles are common. Faithful people are not! When you find yourself mired in a fight between body and heart and soul, the Holy Spirit will be your best guide and God will be your best source of strength and peace and hope.
The young woman looked at her mother through tired eyes and said, “Mom, I love Tommy. I do. Very much. And he wants to marry me! But, I’m afraid to get married. So many of my friends who married at a young age now regret it. I don’t want to make a mistake. What do I do?”
The mother looked directly into her daughter’s eyes and said, “Do you love him; I mean really love him?” When the daughter nodded, the mother said, “Stop thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Stop worrying about the future which is clouded in uncertainty. Think with your heart, not with your head! If you love him and he loves you, if you both are willing to be there for better or for worse, just follow your heart. Marry the man. He seems good for you! Pray about it!”
With a sigh, the young woman said, “Thanks for the words, Mom. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I hear what you are saying. I want love. I want Tommy. I will pray, I promise. I just hope this isn’t a big mistake.”
There comes a time in every life when your head and your heart will be in conflict with one another. Your heart might be falling in love, while your head is reminding you of all the things that could go wrong if your trust is broken. Your empathetic heart might feel sorry for that boy whose bike was stolen. But your head might be reminding you that the boy should have locked his bike safely in the garage and not let it lie night after night on the front lawn! Sometimes, your heart might be pushing you to offer grace or forgiveness to a person who did you wrong. At the same time, your mind might be reminding you that to let a person off the hook for doing wrong might encourage the person to do even more wrongful acts! I have often found that the heart responds more to feelings and emotions, while the mind responds more to logic and factual information. Because the mind and the heart seem to operate with different influences, you should not be surprised when they conflict with one another, forcing you to have an intense internal psychological, emotional, or spiritual struggle!
In Romans, chapter 7, Paul explained how his sinful thoughts and emotions seemed to always erode his peace of mind. Paul admitted in the scripture for today that even when his mind wanted to “serve the law of God”, his flesh and heat and emotions wanted to do selfish things, act impulsively, and find pleasure in sin (Romans 7:25). This forced Paul into an internal struggle to find the right motivations for his decisions and beliefs. Have you experienced your own internal struggles within your mind and heart and soul?
At a doctor’s visit, Jerry was told that his blood pressure was sky high. As the doctor described why Jerry should lose weight, eat right, and take some medicine to not have a stroke, Jerry began to formulate all the changes had to happen in his life. He vowed to go for more walks after work. He read some articles on healthy dieting. Also, he began to take pills to lower his blood pressure. After three months, Jerry visited the doctor again. Jerry’s blood pressure had dropped some, but it was still too high. The doctor began to ask a series of questions about Jerry’s lifestyle and asked if there were some stresses in his life that might be making the blood pressure worse. Upon further self-examination, Jerry promised the doctor that he would make needed changes before the next office visit.
As Jerry laid awake at night a few days later, he realized something about his situation. Two years before, he had received a promotion at his place of employment. The new position came with a good-sized pay increase but also a lot of added responsibility. Jerry came to realize that his situation at work was taking a great toll upon his life. He would often work late. His manager was pushing all the employees to exhaustion to increase sales. The manager did this to promote himself and look good to the “higher ups”. All it did was make Jerry’s time at work much more stressful.
Jerry’s mind was stressed. While at work, he was under intense pressure. He often had headaches and backaches at work. He noticed that on his days off, he had a hard time keeping his mind from worry about work or fear for an upcoming deadline. Despite the big raise and much greater income potential, Jerry realized that the stress was getting to him. He needed a job change. He needed to change several things in his life.
After a short job-search, Jerry was interviewed at another company. The new job would necessitate a decrease in pay but would have much less responsibility. He knew the owner personally. They were good friends. Jerry’s head was saying he should keep his old job and the better pay and just learn to deal better with his stress. Jerry’s heart was telling him that he needed to have a less stressful working environment. In the end, after a whole lot of prayer, Jerry followed his heart and took the new job.
Even after making the switch to the new job, Jerry’s heart and mind continued to play “what if” games. What if he was making a mistake? Would he have enough money with his new job to pay for his son’s upcoming college bills? Maybe he shouldn’t have taken a new job with less pay. For several months, Jerry’s mind and heart continued to re-examine his decision. However, the change in jobs began to pay off. With the less stressful job, Jerry’s blood pressure dropped nicely. He was able to lose twenty pounds and ate healthier food. Looking back on it now, the job change was crucial. At the time, Jerry’s head and heart caused constant turmoil as the changes piled up in his life. Thankfully, everything worked out well for Jerry.
When your mind and heart begin to fight with one another, it may be difficult to make good decisions. When your emotions and fears take over your heart and mind, sleepless nights and regret and worry and second-guessing will eat away at your calm. In the midst of a battle between mind and heart, open up your soul to God. You need God’s Spirit to bring clarity. Direction from God becomes so important!
The apostle Paul often found that his mind would often hold tightly to God. However, he also found that sin often brought temptations, fired up his emotions, and tested his will. Paul was thankful that his love of God in Christ kept him on the right track. When internal struggles take their toll, turn your thoughts to Jesus. Keep listening for God’s direction. Hold on tightly to what is right by God. Don’t let temptations and emotions and sinful attitudes cloud your judgment. When internal struggles appear, God will be a great source of strength and encouragement. God’s Word will speak to you. Be careful who you listen to. Watch out for Satan’s little manipulations. Seek time alone with Jesus.
Internal struggles are common. Faithful people are not! When you find yourself mired in a fight between body and heart and soul, the Holy Spirit will be your best guide and God will be your best source of strength and peace and hope.