Turn the Auto-Pilot Off
It is true that our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and our ways are not God’s ways, but it is also true that we are created in his image. As it says in Psalm 143:5–”I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.” So, we need to think about creation and the amazing depth of thought that went into it. Think about a tree, and its need to shed its leaves in the fall, only to grow new ones in the spring–leaves that must be capable of photosynthesis, or the tree will die. While nature may unfold and reveal its mysteries to us, we are incapable of creating an integrated, responsive system that is unique and distinct from natural systems. Even those interested in synthetic intelligence rely on the human mind for a pattern.
It was my Proverbs 31 wife who made this observation: Despite the fact that God created all this by his word and with his wisdom, think of how much of our lives our brains are on autopilot, thinking nothing at all.
Why do we do what we do? Getting leaders to take themselves off autopilot seems to be an ongoing theme here. Think. Don’t stop thinking until you’ve thought of something beneficial. This matters to God, for in the words of the Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
How we think–and what we think–can become another opportunity for worship for a leader. And that’s true no matter what field you are leading in.