Every now and then I must retreat from the quick fix of BREAKING NEWS to the contemplative idea of deep thought. My go-to during some of these moments of inspiration is C.S. Lewis. So, I go to my Apple library of next reads and open The Abolition of Man. Already, chapter 1 titled, Men Without Chest, is a wake-up call to prepare my mind for the duality of thought that makes my brain ache.
It has taken me more time than usual to get to page fourteen, where I pause to visualize the state of communication that I feed on daily. And I ask myself, am I being subtlety coerced into, what Lewis calls the “trousered ape” or the “urban blockhead”.
I must admit, information is frustrating when I am seeking news only to receive someone’s idea. Lewis has a way of bringing me back to my active brain and the components of thinking, discerning, and questioning to combat the subtlety of passive listening. Again, this active state of mind is exhausting and my brain aches.
So, I will continue this day fully aware of the remedy to the trousered ape and the urban blockhead. As Lewis also brings to mind, I may not receive real news/information but I must be cognizant that my soul is under attack.
On this somber note, I retreat to my study on Philippians where another great author, the Apostle Paul, writes to the church of Philippi as he lingers in prison for the BREAKING NEWS he brings.
I embrace and make theses words of Paul my own. Not as a passive listener but as the active brain, mind, and soul of a thinking individual… I pray that my love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment so that I may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-11
As I seek to stay informed of the breaking news, I will also remove the trousers and the blockhead to weigh all things through the wisdom of God’s truth so that I may be in the world but not of it.
On this note, my heart is on fire and my brain is no longer aching.
Always grateful,
Walking In Your Gifts 