Strong Convictions or Weak Opinions?

We were having "Family Movie Night" the other evening, when a 102 Dalmations trailer preview came up. It showed the real puppies rolling around in black paint...and becoming spotted. Charis looked at me and stated rather matter-of-factly, "When dogs roll in paint, they become dalmations."

Oh really? Never knew that.

Chalk that up for one of the many reasons why I am homeschooling at this point. Because right now is one of the most impressionable times of her life. If someone says something to be true, then it latches itself deep in her heart and grows there. And I want to be the one to teach her during this season of face-paced sowing.

My girls are in the "I will listen to whatever you say and believe it" stage. So there's no way that I'm going to hand them over to teachers who may or may not hold the belief system that I do. Or who may or may not even like them. (and yes, I have seen , firsthand, this outright blatant "you are no good" speech from the teacher to the student. I subbed in public schools for 5 years. another story. another time).

...You think that I could always come back around and sort of "undo" the things that people have stated as fact into my girls' lives? Hm. Maybe. But let me tell you a story....

Not too long back, my friend sent me a YouTube Link. It was a video of a man praying over a pregnant woman. Due to the position of the baby, this woman had been told that she would require a c-section. Not wanting to go through surgery, she opted to go and have this man pray over her. The video shows her at a conference of sorts...? He prayed over her, and the baby literally fell out.

My immediate reaction? Woah. That was amazing. I should post this on my blog for others to see!

THEN I scroll down to view the comments left by the other YouTube viewers. They were not impressed. Some were unsure. Others were down right against it, saying that it was dangerous for the baby and evil of the man. On and on it went.

And suddenly my Wow impression started to race down hill at break-neck speed. I found myself thinking: "

Well, maybe they're right. Maybe it was a little odd. Maybe it wasn't the best thing for the baby. ...Yeah, that's right. It was downright abusive to that child. Who does that man think he is putting that woman in that position?!"

Completely discounting, among other things, that the woman wanted the man to pray for her and was believing for a miracle.

In a matter of seconds, my grown-woman self, who likes to think that I can form an opinion and keep it in the face of adversity, was finding my positive outlook on this man and the miracle that God had performed quickly spiral down to a solid negative outlook. I became hard and judgemental towards the entire thing. Quickly banning the idea to post the video. Definitely hardening my heart towards that man.

What in the world?!

If you know me, you KNOW I am a woman of conviction. I am a woman who has experienced the supernatural, with varying miracles and wonders. I am not easily intimidated. Nor am I usually skeptical of the things of God. I am bold. I think for myself.

Or so I thought.

Because here, as I viewed this video and quickly read the resulting nasty comments, I became just like those that I was "listening" to. I took their comments and adopted them as my own.
In a matter of seconds, I did a complete 180.

Though I'd love to think this is an isolated case in my adult life, I can think of another example. Albeit on a lesser level of cognitive thinking. Like when you watch a movie with someone who is verbally bashing it the entire time. Whether you want their running commentary to ruin it or not, it usually does leave it's mark on your overall opinion of the movie. Doesn't it?

I mean, we're adults with pretty solid foundations concerning what we believe, right? Most of us would like to think that we believe what we believe because we have come to that conclusion by ourselves. But have we? After evaluating my fickleness towards that YouTube video, I am beginning to wonder: Is it quite possible that I have formed an opinion other than what God Himself thinks, simply because I happened to be standing beside someone who was pessimistic or inexperienced or just plain misinformed?

Just a thought.

At the beginning of this year God told me "you need to know what you think." I thought He was speaking of how I need to be prepared to really back up the reasons why I believe what I believe. But now, I think it also goes to a deeper level.

I need to know WHO is behind the things that I think. Who originally said the things that I have come to believe? God? A denomination? The world? YouTube? :) I need to know this because thoughts become words. And words, as the Bible says, bring either life or death. (Proverbs 18:21)

And what about my young girls who are just at the beginning stages of internalizing morality issues? I want to protect that. I want to make sure that I spend a large amount of time filling my girls' hearts with Life giving thoughts based on God's Truth. So that when they do speak, Life (and not death) will be pouring out over those who hear them.

I want to make sure the same can be said of me. That I know, and have, the Mind of Christ. Not the residue of all the things thrown before me.