My wife, Julie, and I were sitting in bed the other night discussing an upcoming 10 hour plane flight. She doesn’t need a lot of entertainment in route.
I, on the other hand, packed my iPad, my computer, downloaded three books, packed an additional 3 hardbacks and had four sets of headphones – just in case. I asked her how in the heck she survived without a plethora of activities. She explained that she had a book and had always been able to entertain herself in her thoughts.
I questioned what might be going through her mind as she sat for the not quick journey. I jokingly began imagining…
That cloud looks like an ostrich.
My lavender toenail polish is going to make a real splash on the beach.
My investment manager better step up his game. I have three more years of college to pay for.
How did I nab this incredibly handsome man?
She then suggested some of what might be going on in my head…
My side hurts. I bet it’s a tumor. I wonder how long I have?
She ran the dishwasher again! That’s gonna cost another 67 cents.
But what if people could see our thought bubbles? I fear they’d think less of me. No, I KNOW they would!
I think God wants us to be as pure and kind hearted on the inside as on the outside. Icing is good, but if the batter falls, the cake ain’t.
I can’t always stop a sarcastic or sometimes even mean thought running through my head. I sometimes get irritated quickly without patience or full understanding. And ironically, I get annoyed when others do that to me. Hypocrite.
I’m not sure how to stop these thoughts. I do know I can work hard to have patience and grace with others and when negativity pops in my head, quickly divert, maybe even with prayer. Perhaps a concentrated effort to maintain purity on the inside will eventually lead to more generous thought bubbles overall.