The Battlefield of the Mind

Following on from Roey's teaching on Ladies' Night re. The Battlefield of the Mind, here is my own recent experience:
I have the little 'Peace Pilgrim' card ...
'Watch your thoughts, for they become words
Watch your words, for they become actions
Watch your actions, for they become habits
Watch your habits, for they become character
Watch your character, for it becomes destiny'
... in front of the computer where I see it every day. Interestingly I've observed that where it says 'watch your thoughts, for they become words' - it isn't always me that voices my thoughts! I'm beginning to think that sometimes the Lord prompts someone else to say them for me, as a gentle way of letting me know "I know what you're thinking - I want you to bring your thoughts to me, bring them into the light, let me deal with them"

Let me tell you a story ...

Back in February I took on an allotment. It was a starter plot in very untidy condition and with some help it was fun to tame it and turn it into a productive plot. I enjoyed that so much that when the site manager approached me with the observation that I was 'running out of space' on my starter plot, I agreed and was very happy when offered a solution. I was shown another plot which had been abandoned mid-season and rapidly had become very overgrown with weeds. The deal was that I take on half the plot now, and a lady on the waiting list who was very keen to get started should take on the other half for the rest of the year, then at the end of the year we would swap so that the other lady would then have my original starter plot, and I would have sole tenancy of the full size plot.

We both set to with a will to try and get the plot weed free, working on our own half. Recently however, I haven't seen her over there and her half is returning to its original overgrown state. I began to turn over childish thoughts, like "That's not fair - she's not doing her 'bit'" and wondering about 'tit for tat' - maybe I shouldn't bother keeping up with maintenance on the other plot, the one that she would be taking on at the end of the year, if she wasn't going to bother with her half of what would be 'my plot'. I didn't say anything to anyone about these thoughts. Then today I was exchanging pleasantries with the man on the next plot and asked him if he had seen my neighbour recently, and he voiced my private thoughts for me, saying something like "It won't be fair if she doesn't hand the plot over in a tidy state". I changed the subject and afterwards in the privacy of my own mind repented of my attitude, asking the Lord to help me have His loving, forgiving thoughts and mind - and praise the Lord, He did - and suddenly it REALLY didn't matter what state the plot would be in because that wasn't what it was all about, it was about love for God being at the centre of everything and the joy that we know when we bring things faithfully back to him for him to transform us inwardly by the healing power of the Holy Spirit, bringing a complete change of heart and mind. How we view the circumstances of our lives affects how we feel about them. Sometimes the change that I'm seeking in the world needs to begin in me.