DISTORTED THINKING

DISTORTED THINKING

Monday, October 01, 2018

   Matthew 13:9-15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples said to Him, Why do You speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even that which he has. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not; nor do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which said, "By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive; for this people's heart has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

   John 3:3 9-10 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…. Nicodemus replied, "How can that be?" Jesus told Nicodemus, "You're a well-known teacher of Israel. Can't you understand this?

  Much of man’s thinking is presumptive comfortable process of moving along familiar tracks using convention practice, familiar experience ours or taught (formal and informal), and involving preconceptions and assumptions; all the while believing we are liberally logical and rational in deliberation.

  Though spelling and vocabulary, reading comprehensively, and writing sensibly is my primary responsibility in homeschooling grandchildren Ian and Shandree, I additionally challenge with lateral and critical thinking problems.

  Here’s example: Burwell Village Bank is in Burwell, population 1,210, cows and steers outnumbering people 46 to 1. A local woman, the only professional seamstress in the county, went to talk to her bank manager about some business. The baby sitter fell ill at the last moment and had to cancel. It being a small town, things were done differently; what big city folks might consider unprofessional. She took her 2 year old daughter with her. The bank manager asked his secretary watch her. Glad for break from typical duties, the secretary gleefully did. Business was transacted and the woman recovered her daughter and thanked the secretary. As they walked out the door the baby sitter secretary told a bank clerk “That little girl is my daughter.” How could this be?

  OK, those of you that can’t answer the question quickly are normal. Ian, Shandree, and Ann are abnormal as they deduced the answer quickly. I was normal on this one. L Relying on historic tracking I equated secretary with female. The secretary is the child’s father.

  Unless we’re in a career that requires such to solve problems it’s not a big deal to lack lateral thinking ability. But when it comes to spiritual matters it is crucial. Never a matter of intelligence or level of education, the problem is lack of faith; our being hindered by our mind as opposed to trusting the mind of Christ: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged [discerned] by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Cor.2:14-16; 2Pet.1:3) 

EBB4 (8/28/11)