Overthinking

I confess that I sometimes overthink things, and I also confess that this isn’t a happy place to be because it shows a side of you that hasn’t fully grasped, believed, or accepted the change to a once firmly held position or thought. If that happens, we try to work the thinking round to the new idea or concept in an effort to make it acceptable or force fit it into my head.

Overthinking may not be a happy place, but it is only ever done because something fundamental has changed, or is in process of being changed, and we are not fully in agreement with it. Basically, we try to adapt but can’t quite see a good reason why we should.

I suggest that overthinking chiefly happens in those things which are most important to us. After all, if something is not that important, then any change wouldn’t matter so much, would it? So, I hear you ask, what kind of things make me overthink? You might find these boring, and have a different list, but I would include changing theology and associated church statements of belief, plus how I might choose to act out my life as a result.

Can you relate? Do you overthink anything or am I on my own on this one? In everything I am mindful of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount and Paul’s epistle:

Say just a simple ‘Yes, I will’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong. Matthew 5:37 TLB or how about

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT

Ignorance Is No Excuse

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Isaiah 1:18

There seems to be a ‘go with the flow’ mentality in our society where we accept what others think and say because we don’t want to stick out as different. Peer pressure is a powerful force in young people, but what reasons or excuses do older folks have for not thinking some important things through?

The biggest question we face, whether young or old is whether there is a God or not. We live in a nation which at least claims to be Christian, but we skim over the meaning, don’t we? Once we answer the first big question to our own satisfaction, and after careful reason and thought, we are best placed to decide what effect it will have on our lives.

God makes it plain that we need to gather knowledge about Him, and use reason to fully understand our place in His creation. We cannot do that by forming a committee, or joining a help group. We must do it by ourselves. Great care must be taken because He says we will be rejected if we don’t give it due diligence. Don’t decide there is no God based on the shallow thoughts of a few friends who seem sincere. Trust me, they may be sincere, but they are sincerely wrong. Of course there is a lifestyle price to pay, and most of us don’t like that prospect. What, change my ways? Really? I know it doesn’t feel like it, but in spite of what your pals say, the changes we make when we find God (actually He has already searched us out) will be for the good every time. Give it some thought. It can’t hurt, right?