Do you have your mind too firmly set in some areas? Might you have some prejudice lurking in your innermost being?

David Watson writes about this in his book “In Search of God.”

“A student once said to me, ‘I’ve made up my mind, don’t confuse me with facts!’ Most of us are creatures of prejudice to some extent. I can understand a person who has been disillusioned by what may seem to be stuffy, established church-ianity. The vital thing, however, is to be open and honest and willing to change your mind. There is nothing as deadly as a closed mind.

“There was a man who once thought that he was dead. Nothing that his parents, doctors, friends or psychiatrists would do could persuade him otherwise. One psychiatrist, however, worked out a plan of action. After studying together a medical textbook, he managed to convince the man of one simple fact: Dead men do not bleed. ‘Yes, I agree,’ said the man, ‘dead men do not bleed’; whereupon the psychiatrist plunged a small knife into the man’s arm and blood started to flow. 

“The man looked at his arm, his face white with astonishment and horror. ‘Goodness me,’ he said, ‘dead men bleed after all!’”

My mind is set; don’t confuse me with the facts. 

Pastor and author Charles Swindoll says, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstance, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.” 

Perhaps it is time for us all to do some fall cleaning in the far corners of our minds. Is there an area where we have a chance to change an attitude? Become more Christ-like? Become less set in our ways and willing to be confused by the facts?

God’s blessings as you search your hearts and minds!