My First Blog

I appreciate the irony; after all, to get the message across straight away that I am not some superior thinker, what better title could there be for the first post of a blog with “Thinking” in the title?

I have lots of thoughts.

Some of them are great or rather, should I say, would be great if they ever became “real”.  Is it the thought that counts? Nope.

Some of my thoughts, although right and true, should never become real for a couple of reasons:  Maybe they add nothing to those with whom I could share them?  Maybe they highlight division or contrary opinions which would upset more that congeal? Maybe sometimes it’s better to not be right than to be right?

Some of them have no place being in my mind in the first place.  “Slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to become angry”. I find that when I am angry, I speak quickly.  The problem then is that I speak the thoughts I shouldn’t have even been thinking in the first place.  But even when we are not angry, those ill-placed thoughts are often nurtured and consume us.  Conversations, past or future, replayed or reworked in our minds.  Fantasies which take us away from our realities.  Bitterness, anxiety and so on.  You get the idea.

But to start, I offer the word, “yes”.

You see, I find myself seldom answering the call to start because I first feel that I first need to be able to start.  I can’t do good until I myself am good. Or so I hear the voice whisper in in my ear.  Wait until you are good, then you can do good.  It’s the good thing to do right now because if you try to do good but you yourself are not yet good then you will turn people away from the good and that will be bad, right?

Nope.

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Rev 21:5

There is a stronger voice, probably booming. It tells us that we don’t need to wipe the slate clean in order do what we think we should do.  We don’t need to work hard to make ourselves clean and new and improved before we start doing right.  Those good thoughts that at the moment are just good thoughts can come out and be made real. Because Christ makes all things new.

So this new year, after we have all failed to follow our new year’s resolutions, let’s not wait until the following January before being resolute again.  Me included. If it’s right, it’s right to do now.  And right to do tomorrow.  And right to do when we feel far from that throne.  Let’s not just “think” about doing it.