{"id":2577,"date":"2016-02-27T15:35:49","date_gmt":"2016-02-27T15:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/andre\/?p=2577"},"modified":"2016-06-23T02:01:33","modified_gmt":"2016-06-23T02:01:33","slug":"renewing-of-our-minds-8-deadly-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/andre\/soul-significance\/renewing-of-our-minds-8-deadly-thoughts\/","title":{"rendered":"Renewing of our Minds: 8 Deadly Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome and encourages them in a new way of living - the way of love. To do so, Paul suggests we need to renew of our mind<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>by embracing Kingdom values, specifically love, and no longer conforming to the patterns of the world. This renewing of our minds is in effect a paradigm shift or a change in worldview, but what specifically does this mean?<\/p>\n

Evagrius of Ponticus (345-399), a student of St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Basil the Great, and St. Gregory of Nyssa was at one point the Archdeacon of Constantinople. Evagrius systematized human behavior, thinking, and emotion, and he distilled it into what was called the \u201cEight Deadly Thoughts.\u201d Evagrius Eight Deadly Thoughts<\/em> are then placed alongside eight Godly virtues. These virtues illustrate the contrast between healthy and unhealthy thinking. Evagrius would speak of the disordering effect of the Eight Deadly Thoughts, which will by their nature inhibit our relationship with God, ourselves and with others. \u00a0 With the work of the Spirit and skilled Spiritual care we can navigate into a healthier place, yielding\u00a0a deeper sense of connectedness and peace.<\/p>\n

Gluttony<\/span><\/h3>\n

Gluttony is not just overeating but the practice of hoarding out of fear that there will not be enough, and a need to make sure you get your fill, which leads to over indulgence.\u00a0 Temperance <\/strong>is\u00a0the growing confidence in the knowledge and the love of God. We learn that we can trust that whatever we truly need God will provide for us.\u00a0 In the security of God\u2019s love there is simply no reason to be gluttonous, as there will always be enough.<\/p>\n

Anger<\/span><\/h3>\n

Anger is a result of a violation.\u00a0 A violation of self: our social status, of our ideals, boundaries and or agreements.\u00a0\u00a0 Anger is an emotion which we were created with. \u00a0Anger is natural in light of such violations and injustices, but, as Paul exhorts the Ephesians, do not sin in your anger! Mildness<\/strong> is not the indifference towards those violations, but rather choosing \"\"to deal with these issues in ways which are consistent with love.\u00a0 Jesus would talk about several ways of dealing with these kinds of violations when He said things like turn the other cheek, forgive 70 x 7, go the extra mile, if another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone, and love your enemies!<\/p>\n

Greed<\/span><\/h3>\n

Greed is deadly as well, driven by a need to be pathologically self-sufficient at the expense of other people.\u00a0 Greed makes us ravenous for those things which fortify our security, position and power.\u00a0 Generosity<\/strong>, on the other hand, is a fruit of knowing our value and security are in our relationship with God.\u00a0 In the security of this place we learn how to share with others and to enjoy (not be threatened by) the contributions of others.\u00a0 We learn to be at peace with that which we offer, understanding our value and position in the\u00a0community is not secured by how much we have, what we own or control, but because of who we are.<\/p>\n

Envy<\/span><\/h3>\n

Envy is overcome by contentment.\u00a0 Envy is rooted in a pathological desire to have the good things of another as if you are more deserving.\u00a0 Contentment<\/strong> is a quality we mature into as we learn to be truly thankful for what we have.\u00a0 Contentment comes from a deep inner revelation that you are truly loved and accepted for who you are, and not on the basis of your performance or your possessions.\u00a0 It is learning to have our needs met in relationship with God and not looking to what we have, or, more poignantly, in what we don\u2019t<\/em> have to meet those needs.<\/p>\n

Pride<\/span><\/h3>\n

Growing in humility will overcome pride by helping us to see our true selves in the context of community.\u00a0 Humility<\/strong> will lead us to balance, understanding that not only our contributions but the contributions other contribute to the well-being of the community.\u00a0 Humility is not denying our gifts and abilities but realizing they too still need to be developed, and it recognizes the contribution of others in that development.<\/p>\n

Lust<\/span><\/h3>\n

Lust will give way to chastity.\u00a0 This is a key area because lust is a bastardized form of love.\u00a0 It is a parasitic love which seeks to gratify its own need for pleasure, satisfaction, control and a sense of power at the expense of another.\u00a0 Chastity<\/strong> seeks to bring a sense of mutuality, a balance between being loved and loving.\u00a0 It leads to a faithfulness to, and a genuine care and concern for the person you love and understands that a person has value far beyond your direct benefit.<\/p>\n

Indifference<\/span><\/h3>\n

Indifference gives way to diligence<\/strong> in that we begin to understand that what we do and how we do it has implications.\u00a0 The good and noble things we do matter, no matter how small<\/strong>.\u00a0 A cup of water, visiting someone who is lonely, or a simple \u201chello\u201d on the street all have some potential positive effect.\u00a0 My wife has the privilege of working with senior citizens as a Recreation Therapist in our health region.\u00a0 She has the opportunity to get to know and develop significant relationships with many elderly people, including those who suffer from various forms of dementia.\u00a0 She understands that when interacting with these people they will not remember her or their conversation for very long, and people often ask her, \u201cWhat\u2019s the use?\u201d\u00a0 Her response brings me to tears each time I think of it.\u00a0 She gently replies, \u201cYour right, they probably won\u2019t remember it.\u00a0 But for the moment I was with them they were loved, and I believe that has an impact if only for that moment.\u201d\u00a0 Diligence is choosing to love because love always matters, love always has an impact<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Depression<\/span><\/h3>\n

Where indifference is a belief that our actions do not matter, depression is the belief that we as people do not matter, we have no significance.\u00a0 Through this lens, we come to believe there is nothing good in the world, in our communities or families and there never will be.\u00a0 Evagrias suggests wisdom is the antidote for depression.\u00a0 Wisdom<\/strong> comprehends in a healthy sense the role we play in the lives of our family, community and globally.\u00a0 That our actions, our contributions, our voice, our presence for the sake of the Kingdom matters, and at the very least our \u201cjust showing up\u201d is in itself a testimony to the generations to come.\u00a0 \u201cIt is a celebration of the past and anticipation of the future without being overly concerned about our particular involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

_______________________________<\/p>\n

For Evagrias understood the renewing of our minds as a maturing from unhealthy thinking to a paradigm of health, all of these virtues being a transition towards divine, healthy love - the outworking of the Love Paradigm in concrete ways in our lives.<\/p>\n

Caution:<\/strong> The danger comes again when we reduce\u00a0this to rule keeping or moralism and turn a wonderful work of Grace inspired by love into just another to-do-list of religious obligation.\u00a0 Let's be sure we understand this renovation in our lives is the work of the Holy Spirit and we simply choose to respond in love to this work. <\/strong><\/em> Remember to be patient with yourself!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome and encourages them in a new way of living - the way of love. To do so, Paul suggests we need to renew of our mind by embracing Kingdom values, specifically love, and no longer conforming to the patterns of the world. This renewing of our minds is in effect a Continue Reading<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[34],"tags":[63,87,90,167,482,554],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n