What's On Your Mind?

As an avid user of social media, I am daily asked the question on my Facebook page, "What's on your mind?"  A question that invites me and 1.11 billion other Facebook users worldwide to share with the international community what we are thinking, feeling or doing at any given moment by updating our "status." Whether it be via Facebook, Twitter or Blogging, the internet provides a very public forum to share our thoughts with anyone who is interested.  

Our mind is a laboratory of values, beliefs and attitudes that combine and contribute to the very thoughts that are so openly shared on social media.  From the flippant to the informative, our thoughts reveal much about who we are and what we care about.  It is any wonder we find so much written in Scripture about our thought life and the importance of nurturing the way we use our minds:

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12:2) 

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  (Philippians 4:8) 

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."  (2 Corinthians 10:5)

You have heard it said, "you are what you eat," well it is also true that you are what you think.  Given the nature and diversity of some thoughts expressed through social media, it would suggest that maybe there is an unhealthy balance of what is fed into the minds of those expressing their thoughts.  Far from intending to be judgmental of what makes other people think, it's hard to avoid noticing the obvious.  When "what's on your mind" manifests into indiscriminately negative or destructive comments for the world to see, the biblical call for the renewal of your mind is worthy of consideration.  

As a person of faith I embrace the Apostle Paul's call to "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5) so that His thoughts might become my thoughts, that I might imitate the humility of Christ in my thoughts, words and actions.  The climate of social media would have a very different tone if such a mindset was captured every time you shared "what's on your mind."  Just a thought.