Monday, January 19, 2009

Oh My Pondering Thoughts

Mulling: a verb from the word mullen which means to grind up or mix thoroughly. Mulling: to think about slowly and carefully; to ponder.

Do you ever mull? I mull. And I seem to go in seasons of mulling. This is a mulling season for me. Thoughts and ideas and situations just hanging out in my brain. Going round and round. To give you an example of the things that bumping around my brain this morning vying for priority:

-why is it I am never hungry for breakfast except when a church wide fast is called and then I wake up starving the first morning?
-how on earth can a big fat worm get into a red pepper and not leave evidence of entry anywhere?
-why is it hair stylists always rave about my hair but I can never get it to do what I want?
-why oh why didn't I get my roots done before I got hi-lights?
-how does Celine Dion walk in those heels day in and day out?
-does one's feet permanently "freeze" in high heel position if stilletos are worn all the time?
-does melting ice cream and drinking it count as liquids in a fast?
-why is it a 5 year old furnace gives us more headaches than the ancient one we had before?
-why am I waking up with songs running through my head every single morning lately when that's never happened to me before?
-how can my hand towel disappear off it's hook and not one person in the family know where it is?
-why is it the kids these days seem to mega amounts of days off from school such as I only dreamed of when I was a kid?

Now if I take the definition of mulling and grind and mix thoroughly these thoughts it truly becomes scary! Just imagine this running through your mind:
-how on earth, didn't I get my roots, in those high heels?

-can a big fat worm, day in and day out, count as liquids ?
-I can never get, into a red pepper, and know where it is.
-if stilleto's are worn, running through my head, a church wide fast is called.

See what I mean? Oh my aching brain!
Church wide fasts are usually very timely for me. A time to purposefully focus my thoughts. Focus them not on the silliness and mundane and everyday, but onto the steadfast word of God. Onto the unchanging, unshifting, rock solid Word of the Living God. Mulling on the Word of God is what I should be doing.
Is it any wonder that God calls us to fast in His word? He made us and knows us in and out and how our humanness causes us to focus on all the different distractions that swirl around us each and every day. Fasting and purposefully setting that time aside to seek God through prayer and through His word, puts our thoughts in line with His. As we pray and ponder/mull over His Word, it releases us from confusion and puts our priorities straight in line with His. It humbles us in prayer as it breaks hardness of heart and bondages of sinful habits. As we set ourselves and our wants and cravings aside, and turn to the Lord, seeking Him we look for His handiwork in our lives.
May the cry of my heart be like David's when he wrote Psalm 119 (which is all about the Word of God) and more specifically verses 9 - 16:

"I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."

21 comments:

Sandra said...

Awesome post Susanne, and yeah I got confused just reading the list, I can't imagine having all those thoughts mulling around in my brain LOL

Islandsparrow said...

"does melting ice cream and drinking it count as liquids in a fast?"

LOL

Glad you have this time to focus on God's word.

the voice of melody said...

I would be all over that ice cream liquid fast if I could!

Thanks for the reminder of the importance of biblical fasting. That's a struggle of mine, I must admit.

gail@more than a song said...

I love the melting ice cream part! I have those mulling thought sometime too, and that waking up in the morning with songs going through your head? Welcome to my world.

Karen said...

This is a wonderful post. It's very timely for me, as I'm struggling with how to manage the distractions in my life. Love all of the mulled together thoughts. And, I agree, why didn't we have as many days off when we were kids?!

Laura said...

How long of a fast are you doing? I've never done it myself.

Anonymous said...

Our church had a fast last week. It is amazing how your body is hungry when you are not eating purposefully. I think usually liquids are only clear liquids... most ice creams don't melt clear. A lot of people at our church did the Daniel fast.

Linda said...

I like it when you mull!! This was a great post Susanne.
Let me know about the melted ice cream thing....

Willow said...

Yes, I mull. I ponder. And I muddle.

Speaking of fasting, I haven't for almost two years. Where did the time go?

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

Perhaps the fast is wreaking havoc on your mind? You're not only mulling, you're brewing and percolating. Fasting is quite a challenge.

ellen b. said...

hee, hee and hallelujah all in one post. I like it...

Jamie said...

Great post! I laughed at your melitng ice cream comment.

Barb said...

You crack me up, Susanne. That melted ice cream trick isn't going to fly. LOL

And Celine Dion is a figament of our imagination. :-)

Anonymous said...

This was fun to read. I ought to keep a notepad with me through the day and try to record some of these mullings. Often when I get to the computer I don't remember what they were.

Anonymous said...

The scary thing is, I totally understand.

Dunno about the ice cream thing. I try not to think about it too hard, especially when melted.

You know, I truly believe only God can make sense of my thought process. He is just so good!

Faith said...

Fasting has always been a struggle for me. I get major headaches! THanks for this post.....

Anonymous said...

Oh Susanne, this post made me laugh all those great things going on in that brain of your! I wonder how anybody can walk in heals all day long! :)

Oh to only mull on the things of God...how different our lives would be. Thanks for the encouraging words today. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh major spelling error in that post.....ooooops heels not heals....just a thought thou, maybe they are all wearing heals, and have been healed of the aches and pain heels.

Ok, yes that was bad I know......I had a migraine all day yesterday and my full brain capacity has yet to return! :)

Tammy said...

This was so good, Susanne...

Yep, I can mull sometimes too...and as for the feet permanently freezing into high heel position, I'm guessing that's what happened to Barbie and her friends? Because Ken's are perfectly flat...just one more thing to mull...LOL

Come over and check out the home school open house when you get a chance!

Brenda said...

Great post. I agree, its never harder to not eat than when we are fasting!

Hen Jen said...

this post had me laughing a little..I can't help you with most of those, but about the feet in high heels,- my mom is 4'10" and I think she had a problem with that, because I remember her always in very high heels. A few years a ago she had to have surgery on her feet because she messed them up. Not fun. I never understood her wearing them, they were so steep, but didn't really make her any taller...

and, I do think the ice cream counts as a fast..