Big Thought for Little Brain

This month my husband and I traveled to New York City with friends who were visiting from Brazil, South America. Our typical sightseeing day in the Big Apple includes a ride on the subway. Although I think New York’s metro system is shabby and dungeon-like compared to some other big cities, I nevertheless enjoy riding on it.

It’s not the mode of transportation I like so much… it’s what I see while using the mode of transportation. People! Lots of people! All shapes and sizes and ethnicities! I love watching people! Some stand and converse enthusiastically with friends. Others sit and doze (do they ever fall asleep and miss their stop?). Some are deeply engrossed in a good book (I have a huge urge to peer over their shoulder and read an excerpt). Still others are staring off into space. Some smile in response to my smile. Some turn away as though human connection on the subway is forbidden. I just love watching all the people!

Then, while bouncing along on the tracks, I had this thought, “Each of these people is an individual and each has a unique life story.” As I watched them, I wondered about their stories, and tried to imagine what they were thinking about at that very moment.

Then I had another epiphany… “God knows what all these people are thinking about right now, just like He knows what I’m thinking. How does He do that?” Psalm 139:2 says, You perceive my thoughts from afar. I was seated right up against some of these folks and I could have taken a guess as to what they were thinking. Their facial expressions, posture, conversation, etc. seemed to reveal their mental state. But God knows EVERYONE’s thoughts… SIMULTANEOUSLY… not just mine and not just the thoughts of the thousands of New York subway riders… but He knows the thoughts of the billions of thinkers around the globe.

My puny brain cannot begin to comprehend how this is even possible. As the train rushed along, I thought, “This is TOO BIG of a concept for me to grasp!” And as I sit at my computer right now, wondering what words to type next, and what I’ll make for supper tonight… those thoughts register with my Creator. And so do all the thoughts of every other human being alive at this instant.

My mind says, “There is NO WAY anyone can do this!” But then my mind answers, True… no PERSON could be all-knowing, but a supernatural God could. After all, if He designed the mind and all its amazing capabilities, surely He could design it in such a way, that He would be able to read it. And if He cares enough to read our minds, perhaps He cares what’s on our minds! I wonder if when He reads my mind, He thinks it’s good stuff or junk. I wonder if He ever feels slighted because my mind hasn’t turned His direction very often throughout the day. I wonder if He gets tired of my negativity… my grumbling, complaining, worry, anger and frustration… my lack-of-trust thoughts.

There’s an old hymn, “May the mind of Christ my Savior, live in me from day to day.” I bet if my thinking were like Jesus’ thinking that would make God grin. And I figure that if I want a mind like Jesus’ mind, I probably need to get to know Him better… through consulting with Him, spending time with Him, copying Him … THINKING about Him!

It occurs to me that I can do that any time, any place… at home, at work, with my family, when I’m alone and yes… even when I’m crammed onto a crowded Manhattan subway! And that’s a good thought… isn’t it, God!?