"What's in YOUR mind?"By Paul Hayden April 9, 2018 "What's in your mind?" Do you even dare ask it? Do you ever explore that territory, or is it uncharted or unfamiliar? A penny for your thoughts... “Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul, particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquility; and I affirm that tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind. Constantly then give to thyself this retreat, and renew thyself; and let thy principles be brief and fundamental...See how soon everything is forgotten, and look at the chaos of infinite time on each side of the present, and the emptiness of applause, and the changeableness and want of judgement in those who pretend to give praise, and the narrowness of the space within which it is circumscribed, and be quiet at last. For the whole earth is a point, and how small a nook in it is this thy dwelling, and how few are there in it, and what kind of people are they who will praise thee.” Marcus Aurelius is known to be a proponent of the stoic philosophy which was a major body of thought during the Greek and Roman period of history, before and after the life of Jesus. There are so many directions that this article could go, but I will allow the reader to explore the other directions. The Greek philosophy that grew and developed into Western thought patterns is fascinating.
The key to all of this is knowing that God loves you - He created us, He knows what we need, He loves us, and He is always near us. Many today (and throughout history) say this is a fairy tale or just hooey. I trust it, and you can as well. It makes a lot more sense to me than that we all just came from nothing. You can believe what you want, but as for me, I will trust in God's love.
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Paul Hayden is a Christian believer, and an American patriot, necessarily in that order. He is a student of the Bible, and is avidly interested in our role in the context of history, as understood through the heart and eyes of faith. Paul has lived and traveled somewhat widely, and now lives in the heartland of the U.S. (central Illinois), with his wife Donna - they have five grown children. Since December of 2016, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief of www.ConservativeTruth.org. "I was raised by a Christian minister, Kenneth Hayden, until his death when I was 10. Then my mom married a farmer. So I was raised in a very down-to-earth home. My faith has grown through the years, but both in conjunction with the institutional church and through small groups and individuals, including books as well as group settings, where deep, sincere faith is shared that aligns with Biblical truth."
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