There are voices in my head. Two voices. (Don't look at me all weird, you have them too.) And they talk to me, lead me.
It's like there is an angel on one shoulder, a devil on the other. One voice tells me to keep believing, never stop hoping, keep dreaming - an endless roll of Pinterest quotes. She is my strong voice.
The other voice gets frustrated quickly, lets little things bug to her, feels depressed, gives in, doubts, believes the worst.
And the voice I listen to determines the person I am on any given day.
But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me (Romans 7:23).
There are two sides of me - two powers at war in my mind. One of them makes me slave to sin.
Which voice wins?
I used to jog. I used to use the bathroom uninterrupted. I used to flick through a magazine on the beach. I used to breeze through a mall. Before kids. Like many "before kids" luxuries and habits, jogging fell by the way-side because new seasons require new wineskins. And that's okay. It's supposed to happen. But I lost more than my fitness.
A few weeks ago, I started jogging again. It was hard. I liken the pain of my return jog with the memory of childbirth. But I kept going, stuck with my fitness commitment, and pushed through the pain.
And in jogging I discovered the enjoyment of pounding the pavement had less to do with my body, and more to do with my mind.
You see, when I run, the strong voice we were talking about before, she speaks to me. She helps me conquer the hill, she pushes me to go another mile, she urges me not to give up.
You can do it. Keep going. Leave it all on the pavement. Give it all you've got. You're gonna make it...after all. (That's right, she even sings the theme song from the Mary Tyler Moore show. I am that old. And I've started jogging! Pretty impressive, huh?)
It hit me. Before kids, I would jog all the time. I used to hear my strong voice all the time, pushing me further, believing in every step. Then I stopped jogging, and my positive voice grew faint. Not because she wasn't there. She was just drowned out. And I became overwhelmed, frustrated, and lost my peace.
But in the past weeks, the volume has been turned up on my strong inner voice. I hear her loud and clear when I am jogging.
I also hear her through the week.
When the kids are demanding, she tells me to stay calm. When work is pressing, she helps me keep it all together. When I start to doubt my ability, she reminds me that I've got this. You are a strong woman, you can do all things through Christ.
Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of! (Proverbs 31:2a, MSG).
There are voices inside your head too. One is good, the other evil. And they are both talking to you, leading you. Which voice can you hear most?
You need to listen to your strong voice. Because it is there in all of us. The eternity placed in our hearts, the part of human spirit that pushes through adversity.
The volume might be down, or even muted.
Turn it up.
I don't know how you turn it up. Me? I jog. But do whatever you have to do to pump up the volume. You need that voice. We all do.
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace (Romans 8:6).
We think the sinful nature controlling the mind involves pornography, violence, greed, and the like. But the sinful nature also doubts. It tells you to give up. It becomes impatient. It allows fear to take root. And it leads to death.
If the soundtrack in your mind sounds like that, it's time to change frequencies. Tune into the voice of the Spirit. Tune into your strong voice. Your true voice. Get rid of distractions and listen. Surf, jog, play guitar - whatever, but find that voice again. It is the voice you need to hear. The voice that leads to life and peace.
I cannot describe how my life has changed since I started jogging again. Actually, that's a lie. My life hasn't changed; I haven't got a better job and occasionally my kids still get on my nerves. But the way I see life - that has changed. And it has made all the difference.
I'm Sarah Coleman, an Aussie passionate about Jesus & family. Through blogs and books I minister life and encouragement. Download my FREE eBook, Be Amazing: You Know You Want To. Find more of my thoughts at sarahcoleman.com.au.
Publication date: March 10, 2015