There's Reigning and There's Reining In!

"For as [she] thinketh in [her]heart, so is [she]...."  Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)

I've been thinking about thinking.

Actually it started with thinking about someone else's thinking...and her words...words that were critical...even snarky...words that hurt my feelings a little bit.  We're a little more than acquaintances, but a little less than close friends...but her words stung.

The scary thing is that as I wrestled with my response to her snarkiness, I realized that I had become a snark myself...about her.  And that I can venture off into snarkiness with the best of them!  Not a good thing.

I prayed, "Lord, reign in my thoughts!"  And I meant it in two ways.  It's a matter of spelling...and homophones. 

The first was REIGN in my thoughts.  In other words, "Lord, be the God of my thoughts! Be present in them.  Help them to honor You, to glorify You."  As Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, LORD, my rock and my redeemer."

And then the second is to REIN IN my thoughts...like stopping a horse by pulling in on the reins.  Control them!  Keep them from charging off in the wrong direction!  Help me to follow the words in Philippians 4:8 that say, "...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."

As Matthew and Luke tell us, we...I...must to be careful to remove the "plank" from my own eye...allow God to work in my heart...watch my way of thinking...and my way of speaking.

Thanks, Lord, for that lesson.  Please help my heart to "thinketh" in a way that shows I belong to You and desire deeply to honor You.  Reign in and rein in my thoughts...and thus the words I speak.  Keep me from being snarky.  I love You.