We all have a certain amount of “brain space”—our capacity to process or think about things. I call this our mental real estate. Our minds can only hold so many thoughts and ideas before they become crowded, and we become befuddled. Now, contemplate your thought life according to the Bible; consider how you are approaching your mental real estate by comparing it to God’s Word and what He says you should think about the world, yourself, God, family, and so forth.
I believe that strong godly women learn how to discipline their minds and their thinking in ways that align with God’s Word to benefit themselves and others. This is so important because a thought usually leads to an action, and actions can determine the outcomes of our situations.
A portion of Proverbs 23:7 in the King James Version says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” This verse has sometimes been used to communicate the importance of the way we think and manage our mental real estate. If we become what we think, perhaps this is a warning to carefully consider our thoughts and line them up with God’s Word.
There are conflicting stories about the invention of the real estate board game Monopoly, with many stories attributing its creation to a man named Charles Darrow, who developed it not long after the crash of the stock market in 1929. Regardless of its origin, people have played and enjoyed Monopoly for generations. The point of the game is for players to attempt to increase their wealth and decrease their opponents’ wealth (hopefully forcing them into bankruptcy) through purchasing and developing pieces of property, some of which are more valuable and profitable than others.
One lesson we can learn from Monopoly and the real estate market in general is the importance of location, location, location. Consider your thoughts or brain space as an empty game board that allows you to fill each location with whatever you choose. How valuable is your real estate? Do you have Monopoly mentality or constant clutter in the valuable space called your thoughts? Do you only fill your real estate with thoughts about the stress of your job, your past, or your problems? Is your thought life, your mental real estate, consumed with failures and missed opportunities? Do you think, “I’ll never ‘pass Go and collect $200’”? Or are you willing to move forward?
What is your mental Monopoly board, and how are you processing your mental real estate?
If Charles Darrow could achieve his dreams in the middle of unemployment, the crash of the stock market, and the initial rejection of his heartfelt invention due to fifty-two fundamental errors, then you, like Darrow, can move past your obstacles and achieve your goals with the right mindset and God’s help.
I encourage you to evaluate your thought life, your mental real estate. Think of each thought as a square of property on the game board of your life. As you take inventory, ask yourself what occupies the valuable spaces in your thoughts. Make a list of the properties in your mind that are nonproductive or out of alignment with God’s Word. Ask Him how to rethink or reprioritize those places and put into them what He would choose for you. Ask Him about location, location, location— what space should get your attention? Pray that He will show you where to apply your time, your talent, your efforts, and your finances. Which location would produce the highest rate of return for you and for His kingdom? Remember, our thoughts can lead to actions, and we want each thought to lead to an action that glorifies God.
Isaiah 55:9 says that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Let’s invite Him into our mental real estate and choose thoughts that align with His. When God does the thinking and the strategizing, I don’t believe we have to “pass Go” or “collect $200.” Instead, we get God’s highest and best in everything He has for us. And when we have that, we can discover and live in our true strength.
Television host Lindsay Roberts is a minister, writer, editor, sought-after speaker, wife, mother, and lifelong student of the Bible. Her latest is Discover Your True Strength: Choosing to Thrive in the Midst of Life’s Challenges. Follow her at @lindsayrobertsofficial.
