I am going to be as kind as possible in this blog post and share something with you that has caused the breakdown of personal relationships and even wars.
I am talking about that thing some of us do when there appears to be a problem and we begin to think for other people.
"Well, what did she mean when she said that ?" Or that guy in church walks by you without saying hi because he says hi all the time and today he didn't say hi and then the immediate thought is , "Oh my ! I think he's mad at me". It sounds totally funny but I'm pretty sure if you've read up until this point, you know exactly what I am talking about.
This is what I am referring to as "mind-reading" and in my experience it does not benefit anyone who is involved ! You may also refer to it as "speculation".
Yes, I agree that we can read body language and infer many things from that but for crying out loud, please don't think for people ! It's absolutely sad to see how many relationships have gotten strained and destroyed by this kind of behavior which very much happens in church !
4 Reasons You Shouldn't Mind Read
- Because it causes you to worry unnecessarily and worry is actually a sin
- You are not the other person and so you cannot pin-point exactly what they are thinking
- The devil has a way of playing with your mind about people's perceived actions or thoughts. He uses it as a way to promote bitterness, unforgiveness and ultimately to destroy otherwise loving relationships.
- People have their own lives going on and whatever action you are clinging on to as your evidence for your mind-reading is probably very, very far from the truth !
3 Things You Should Do Instead
- Think the best of people. If you find yourself constantly thinking that people are mad at you or somebody to going to do that bad thing to you (outrageous example ,your husband is about to cheat on you because you saw him turn to look at the girl in the drive-through window 2 years ago), you, my friend have a problem with suspicion and distrust and those are strongholds that need to be broken. True love ALWAYS trusts (1 Corinthians 13:7)
- Go and have an honest conversation with whoever is involved. People will sometimes discuss a problem with EVERYONE except the person they actually have the problem with. Why ? Does your relationship with the person whom you just mind-read mean anything to you ? If it does, my suggestion is to get a hold of the person and just have an honest conversation. I am not talking about being confrontational and rude (no need for that !). It eliminates the chances of your heart getting infested with pain and eventually causing a break-down of the relationship.
- Remember, it's not always about YOU ! Remember what I said about people having their lives going on ? Well, yeah. I hate to burst this bubble to ya, but people are not thinking of you in particular day and night and so don't just always assume that everything another person does is meant to offend you. This goes back to breaking the hold of suspicion and distrust that the devil has successfully used to control the lives of many people for centuries. Pray and break it yourself or find some praying people who will come alongside you and pray.
In the end, it is not worth your sanity and it is definitely not worth your relationships to have unfounded speculations.
Leave me a comment below or on Facebook and let me know what you think!
You are loved relentlessly by a Powerful Savior !
Gertrude.
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11 comments:
I think that's the main stumbling block, that "it's not always about YOU!" When someone is having an off day, then we should take the opportunity to pray for them. Thanks for linking on my weekend blog hop, Make My Saturday Sweet!
I am all about communication and think that if we talk about things that bother us, we will see that it is typically misconstrued of can be worked out. It is the devil's play fun to have us at odds with one another. God told us to forgive and talk to your brother...this is how we keep lines of communication clean with one another, and Him :)
A wonderful reminder to not always take things personally. Instead of being hurt, it might be an opportunity to lend help.
It was my pleasure Tina !
Yes Lisa, the devil absolutely loves to play us against each other. Thank you so much for stopping by today.
Great post!I used to always drive myself crazy with this behavior. I soon realized that I had a few things that I needed to work on.
You are so right, this is a touchy subject, but I couldn't agree with you more. I just recently talked to my husband about a similar issue, how a third party thinks they can fix something that wasn't even wrong because they wanted to "help" the thing was the issue became the third party person! So sad...
Thanks for sharing
Marissa D
Hi Marissa ! I am laughing over here not because this is funny but because people do that and there is absolutely no need for it ! Thank you so much for stopping by.
I pray your day is going very well.
Well, Latonya, drive yourself crazy no more ! I used to do this too but the Lord is helping me realize that this is a habit that helps and benefits NO-ONE. Thanks so much for stopping by :) I pray your day is going VERY well !
I'm glad you know what I'm talking about! I felt like I was the only one who even cared that people do this!
This post is spot-on! Satan likes nothing better than to mess with our minds and make something out of nothing.
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