What is a mindset? The scientific definition of a mindset is an attitude or cluster of thoughts with attached information or emotions that generate a perception. A mindset shapes how you interact with the world. As I sit and ponder on how I strive to have the mind of Christ, I am encouraged when I read Philippians 2:5, where Paul talks about how Jesus is our example of the type of attitude we should have. Paul encourages us to rejoice even in difficult circumstances.
Mindsets can either drive you forward or, if we are not careful, put you in reverse. Mindsets are our expectation levels, which can be negative or positive. In James 4:6, we are reminded again of Jesus’ example of how He responded to people with humility and grace.
If I were to pour a cup of water before you that would be 50% filled with water, would you say the cup is half full or half empty? There is no wrong answer here. It would be either. The question is not what is correct, rather, what was our first response? Where does our expectation level take us?
In today’s world, we are inundated with a barrage of information overload. It can feel like living in a strobe-light society. We are sometimes overstimulated or distracted by things like social media and many other technical devices that keep us underachieved. As I mentioned in the first devotion, The Power of Our Thinking, everything starts with a thought, which then becomes a memory. Over time we feed these thoughts without even thinking about it. They become a cluster of thoughts that we call in science Neuro-networks. What you think about the most will grow. And what grows, you will walk out. That is why God reminds us in Philippians 4:8, “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” (NIV).
In my quiet time with God, I try to keep my mind on this verse by writing down ten things for which I am grateful. I do this for an entire week. I have a new list every week because there is always something to be grateful for.
Looking through the lens of Biology, the thing that surprised me the most as I studied mindsets was that they get passed onto the next generation through conception. What mindsets are we passing on to our children and our children’s children? Something to think about. I know I have. If you are interested in seeing this on a molecular level, connect with me and learn more by visiting www.startyourjourney.net.