by Dona Hake
Sometimes the eyes of our heart and mind are thinking about things that are nothing more than distractions or things we have no business thinking about. As a little girl I can remember our family sitting down to the dinner table in the evening. My father would not put any food on his plate until my mother, sister and I were served. We understood that we were there to eat, and not to be talking. Every once in a while I would glance to see if my sister was eating all of her food or God forbid she got a bit more than me if it was my favorite. It seemed like my daddy had eyes not only on the front of his face but a pair on each side of his head. Nothing got by him! If he noticed my sister or eye minding each others plate, he would take his fork and gently tap my plate and firmly say, “Mind you own plate!!”
Have you ever found yourself thinking about something that was not your business thinking about, and the Holy Spirit gently tugged your heart? Sometimes we are simply minding others business or their affairs, and we do not even realize how much it is consuming our minds. The older I get the more I realize how important, and liberating it is to just pray if I see something that troubles my heart. If the Lord desires to make it my business, He will kindly speak to me by His Holy Spirit. He always instructs us in the way that we are supposed to walk, not the way we think we should walk. Many times we may be trying to be walking in a place that we have no business. An excellent scripture I would like to share with you on this matter comes from the Psalms.
Psalm 131:1 (ESV)
“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.”
“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.”
and another translation brings even more light to the truth…
Psalm 131:1 (GW)
“O Lord, my heart is not conceited.
My eyes do not look down on others.
I am not involved in things too big or too difficult for me.”
I believe as we understand this scripture that it will cause us to guard our heart against the pride of thinking we have all the answers. It will also remind us to be thinking about only that which we are supposed to be thinking. Let us not look down on others when we see faults and weaknesses. May we rather try to help them with a kind word of wisdom and our prayers. If the Lord sees that you are to be put in the path to help an individual, believe me, He is well able to arrange that! Next time you may feel that someone else’s business is preoccupying your mind too much , just maybe your loving Heavenly Father is gently but firmly tapping the “plate” of your life saying, “Mind your own plate!”