Yesterday, I was driving to the office. Stopped at a red light, a car pulled up next to me, windows down and stereo blaring RUSH. I haven’t heard RUSH in a long time, even the very popular Tom Sawyer…

A modern day warrior
Mean, mean stride
Today’s Tom Sawyer
Mean, mean pride

I always kind of liked that song, so I sat there hoping it would be a long light so I could listen a bit longer. The song went on and came to this…

No his mind is not for rent
To any god or government
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren’t permanent
But change is

“His mind is not for rent.” For the rest of the day, it was that particular part of the verse that kept running through my mind.

I’m sad to say that my mind is often for rent. God with a big “G” owns it, but I get caught up in living life in the world and can easily forget that, letting the lesser gods with a little “g” fight over who gets to pay me more to win the lease. I also give a key, at times, to fears over government – too much or lack thereof – and what seems like a plug being pulled, letting out all the power of our country. I let people who do not build me up, or say damaging things to me, rent space in there, too, allowing ridiculous conversations to play over and over in my mind. The more I think about it, the more it appears that my mind is not just a nice little one-room bungalow for rent; it’s quite often a 20-story condo with multiple vacancies. God’s the landlord, but I’m the manager who is renting to the riff-raff.

Thankfully, there’s a remedy to the situation. Obviously, I need to attract better tenants that are God-approved. Like His own Word, for instance. People who are good to my heart. Love. Truth. What is pure and right. I need to clean up the place a little; maybe remodel. Then, maybe, I can put up a No Vacancy sign for good.

I’m thinking “today’s Tom Sawyer” is onto something with not renting his mind. He seems to have that part handled. But he may want to reevaluate his “mean, mean pride” in conjunction with his “mean, mean stride.” I’ve heard that pride can go before a fall…just sayin’.

But I guess that’s really another blog post.

“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.” Philippians 4:8 NLT

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus…” Hebrews 3:1 NIV