A while ago a friend told me about a movie he showed his kids that he wishes he hadn’t.
We’re about the same age, and we both grew up in the ’80s. One of our favorite movies from that era is Back to the Future. So he thought it would be fun to introduce it to his young children. He pictured a perfect Friday night—a little nostalgia for him and a fun family movie for everyone.
It didn’t take long for reality to set in.
A few minutes into the movie, he found himself thinking, I forgot how much language is in this. Then another scene came along and he thought, Oh…I forgot about that part too.
The movie kept getting more awkward, and eventually he looked over to see his wife giving him that look.
Why are you showing our young kids this?
Halfway through the movie, they turned it off.
If you’ve raised kids, you’ve probably had a moment when you let your kids watch something you wish they hadn’t. We do our best to minimize that by installing filters, limiting screen time, using parental controls, etc. We try to be thoughtful about what our kids watch because we know content shapes people.
But somewhere along the way, it’s easy to forget something.
We need guarding too.
The same world that’s competing for our kids’ attention is competing for ours.
Every day we’re bombarded with emails, headlines, podcasts, commercials, social media posts, notifications, text messages, YouTube videos, and a never-ending stream of opinions. There has never been more content available—or easier to consume.
That’s why Paul’s words in Philippians 4:8 feel so relevant today.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (NLT)
Paul wrote those words while sitting in a Roman prison, chained to a Roman guard 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yet in the middle of those circumstances, his concern wasn’t just the Philippians’ situation—it was their thinking.
The phrase think about is one word in Greek: logizomai. It’s an accounting term that means to calculate, evaluate, or take careful account of something.
In other words, Paul isn’t saying, “Just have positive thoughts.” He’s saying, “Pay attention to what you’re allowing into your mind.”
Don’t let your thoughts run on autopilot. Take inventory. Evaluate them. Be intentional about what you dwell on.
That leads to one simple takeaway:
Mind your mind
We don’t often stop to consider just how much information we’re exposed to every day. Emails. Billboards. Commercials. Podcasts. News alerts. Social media. Text messages. Conversations. Pop-up ads. Videos.
It’s constant.
Every one of those messages is trying to capture your attention, shape your perspective, or influence your emotions.
Paul isn’t telling us to ignore reality or pretend life is better than it is. He’s not calling us to stick our heads in the sand.
He’s calling us to be intentional.
I like to picture it this way:
Be the bouncer at the door of your mind.
Not every thought deserves your attention.
Not every headline deserves your emotional energy.
Not every opinion deserves a seat at your table.
Be discerning about what you allow in because what consistently fills your mind will eventually shape your heart, your attitudes, your words, and your actions.
So today, before you rush on to the next thing, pause for a moment and ask yourself a few honest questions:
- What has been occupying my mind lately?
- Where do my thoughts naturally drift when my mind is idle?
- Are those thoughts helping me fix my mind on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise?
- Lord, how can I be more mindful of my mind today?
The battle for your life is often won or lost in your thought life.
So today, mind your mind.
Jeff McClung 