Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14, NIV). 

When your mind wanders, where does it go? What do you think about in your spare moments – when driving, eating, waiting, or doing undemanding tasks? What are your daydreams?

During one particular vacation, I was in the same room with a number of family members, all near and dear to me. Yet I caught myself being so self-absorbed that my heart and mind were not awake to them and their concerns. If they had felt problems or pain or confusion, I would not have sensed it. I would not have reached out to them to offer a listening heart.

The Lord has graciously showed me that I waste too much of my time and thought on myself.

I want to be preoccupied with loving other people. What could I accomplish if I let the Lord’s love dream through me?

I want to be awake to the kaleidoscope of concerns around me, ready to be Christ’s presence however I can.

I want to be more Christ-like. I’m tired of being insensitive in the little things I say and in the little things I don’t say. I want to have the mind and heart of Christ.

How does this happen, after a lifetime of being self-centered? Resolutions and guilt trips don’t work. But I’m finding the answer is much simpler. Whenever I realize that I stand in Christ’s presence, my heart is drawn to Him in prayer. And as I turn to Him, He soon brings other people to mind. When I pray, He frees me from bondage to myself and into the freedom of love. And I can pray anytime.

Sitting in church on a Sunday morning, the Lord prompts me to pray for the needs around me:

• to my right, a family numb from years of dealing with a delinquent son;
• behind me, an elderly man apparently about to lose his wife;
• to my left, a young person (remember those years?);
• in front, the mother of two young children facing a painful divorce.

In traffic, passing coworkers in the office, or in my home, He is ready to share His mind and His heart with me. He just calls me to turn to Him more often as I live in His presence.

Lord, draw me to You.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: My Mind Is Yours
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