”You can be the air traffic controller of your mental airport. You occupy the control tower and can direct the mental traffic of your world. If a thought lands, it is because you gave it permission” – Max Lucado
I recently heard this quote while listening to a podcast on marriage. The quote doesn’t deal specifically with marriage, but it really stuck with me.
We live in a world where we are constantly being assaulted by information, ideas, advertisements, images, ideologies, sounds, and so much more (is it odd that most of those started with an “i”). There are so many things that are competing for a place in our minds. I know that I certainly have so many things every day that are coming at me, and I have to decide what is important, not important, timely, nonsense, and more. I certainly struggle with those decisions at times.
Then I heard this quote and it made me think, “That is so true. I get to decide what thoughts end up landing in my mind.” And even more important is that those thoughts get to land because I give them permission to land in my mind. There are lots of thoughts that come into my mind on any given day, but it is those that I allow to land in my mind that dictate my life. Good thoughts or bad thoughts. Happy thoughts or sad thoughts. God related thoughts or self related thoughts. Family related thoughts or again self related thoughts. I have to make the decision as to which ones land in my mind and take root. I need to make sure that the ones that land are the ones that are of benefit to God and my family. I need to make sure that my landing thoughts aren’t all about me. That is hard sometimes. There are times when we all want to take care of ourselves rather than think about others. That is the sin of selfishness for sure.
The “What Ifs” of life Also fall into these thoughts that we need to be careful about allowing to land. Often, these “what ifs” create doubt and worry in life. When we allow them to land then they can take root and our life can spiral out. We grow concerned about things that may or may not ever happen and things we can’t control. So, why let them land in the first place. Maybe we allow it it be touch and go, where it comes down for a moment, and then we get rid of it before it fully lands. That is where I think we need to rely on God to help us. He should be the one we rely on for those “What ifs”. He knows what will happen and how to take care of it so we don’t need to have our mind wrapped up in it. I think this falls into the sin of pride – thinking we can handle it all ourselves.
Marriage health certainly falls into this as well. I do my best to focus on my wife in all ways. We live in a world though that sexualizes so many things. As a result we are all being bombarded by sexual images, TV shows, songs, clothings, books and more. I have to make sure that I don’t let any of those outside influences “land” in my mind. I have to make sure my wife is my first, last and only thought going through my mind when thinking about marital happiness. She is where I find my wholeness in marriage. That doesn’t mean it is easy. It takes effort and thought. Thoughts that try to land I have to wave off and allow thoughts of my wife to land instead. Here we get the sin of lust and discontentment.
I find that, for myself, I have to rely on God to help me in the control tower of my mind. The Holy Spirit needs to stir me towards the right planes in life to allow to land. There are certainly some that I can identify, but life is made easier when I allow God to do more of the work. After writing this, should I have said instead – “allow God to do all o the work”? That is so hard. I know that is the best route, but we are also free willed and therefore we have to ability to choose what to do or not do, and in this case that means what we allow to land and not land in our minds. It takes work.
So think about what you are allowing to “land” in your mind. You are in control of that. Be diligent and make sure you are only allowing the good to land and wave off the bad.