A Sound Mind
I have seen it. I have seen people lose their mind. I am not referring to temperament. I am talking about people whose mind was once vibrant, strong, analytical, and creative. I’ve seen the empty look in their eyes. I’ve seen the confusion when asked a question. I’ve seen their once vibrant mind, that is now so diminished, that they do not even recognize their own loved ones. It’s hard. It’s so tragic and sad! It’s heartbreaking!
Yet there is something far worse than this dreaded senility. “Sound” means “healthy" and that involves more than just being able to reason and remember. Many bright people do not have a sound mind.
A sound mind includes right values. A brilliant fellow sacrifices everything to make lots of money or to hold some high job. Yet, he loses his family, deserts the Lord, and wrecks his health, all for his job and money. I wonder, “Is that a sound mind?” Another really smart fellow walks away from God and sacrifices heaven for a few occasional minutes of immoral pleasure. “He just went crazy,” says a surprised friend. Real close! He lost his sound mind. Everyone recognizes it, except him. Still another is so selfishly oriented that he ignores brethren and insults the Lord (Matt. 25:31-f). He surely lost his sound mind. The focus of love, as well as reason, has been lost. Have you lost your sense of values, and thus, your sound mind?
A sound mind requires the right attitude. No matter how smart, the malicious man does not have a sound mind. Hatred of men is not of sound mind. Contentiousness (the love of fighting) is not of sound mind. Such attitudes are often excused, even glorified, but that is perverted reasoning. Meanness, hatred, and contentiousness are opposite to kindness, compassion, and a forgiving spirit-- all necessary ingredients of a sound mind. Smart brethren with such mean attitudes have lost their sound mind, and it is really sad, far sadder than memory loss.
A sound, healthy mind also needs faith. Worry and fretting are like sand in the mental machinery. Ask any mental health professional if worry is detrimental to mental health. Many mental and physical disorders are directly traced to inordinate worry. More importantly, ask Jesus about worry (Matt. 6:25-33ff). Faith in God, not worry, makes a sound mind. Faith in God displaces worry. As faith increases, worry diminishes; full faith eliminates worry. Faith connects us to God who is greater than our worst concern. Ask Jesus about the consequences of the worries of this world. The gospel seed found willing hearts, but eventually the cares of the world destroyed them (Matt.13:7, 22). They died spiritually. From what? An unsound mind!
Ask, “Do I have a sound mind?”
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