Captive Thoughts
As a teacher, I recognize that learning takes place most easily when students use more than one or two senses to take in the information. Some learn best through hearing, some, seeing, some working with their hands. So, when I taught Youth Girls’ Sunday School, I liked to bring in activities that got us out of the book.
Once, I brought a piece of poster board. I folded it in quarters short-way so it would make a tall standing cube. We spread it out on the table, and I instructed the girls to grab markers. I told them to write down all the negative names they were called by other people – and all the negative things they thought of themselves. They looked at each other, unsure, and they looked at me the same way. “You want us to write these things down?” Yes! They were still apprehensive, so I started.
On that piece of poster board, I wrote things like “old,” “fat,” “smart aleck.” They jumped in, some more willing than others, and the poster started to fill. These beautiful, precious girls wrote down the thoughts that were planted in their minds: things like “whore,” “ugly,” “stupid,” and worse. It broke my heart to see these words, but we continued in the exercise, discussing how God never calls us those things. We also talked about how focusing on those negative thoughts made them worse. It made their truth seem more and more realistic. And, we talked about how these intrusive, hateful thoughts weren’t only directed at teens. Or females.
Finally, I folded the poster into a cube with the words on the inside, and we taped it up. One of the girls drew bars and a lock on one of the outside cube faces, much like the front of a jail cell. On the other sides, they wrote, “bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” from 2 Corinthians 10:5. I encouraged them to remember that through the help of the Holy Spirit, we can make those things that come against us the prisoners – sentenced to silence as we fill our hearts and minds with the things God wants us to know – His promises, His love, His faithfulness, His perfection.
Let me encourage you to take captive the negative thoughts and words that come against you. Don’t allow anyone, even yourself, to minimize the fact that God created you, and that he loves you!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Philippians 4:6-8
