By John Fischer
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Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia have released a recent study showing that caffeine makes people more open to logical argument, even when it runs counter to their previously held opinions. The caffeine group, across the board, tested out as being consistently more open-minded than the decaf group. This would definitely lend new credibility to the belief that conversations over coffee are a good thing.
An open mind is necessary for any relationship to grow. You have to be open to another way of thinking to relate to someone, because we are all different — we have different backgrounds, different gifts, and we see things from different points of view. Lasting relationships grow out of accepting one another’s differences. We appreciate each other more through consensus than through conformity.
This kind of open-mindedness in relationships is important for more reasons than just our differences. It is important because we are always changing. The only way a person becomes static is when he or she is dead — and even then it is only the physical that stops changing. The real personhood is continuing on somewhere else.
Since we are all in process, we have to remain open to that process in each other. My road will not be yours; yours will not be mine, even if we walk together. God has different plans for each of us. Jesus Christ did not die to create clones. He died so he could fill each one of our unique natures with himself.
And finally, part of who we are becoming involves those closest to us. We are not who we are in a vacuum. We are a product of the people we know and how we have grown together. We shape each other. When this aspect is strong, there is a healthy push and pull at work. “As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.” (Proverbs 27:17 NLT)
Belief has commonly been associated with a closed mind. This is unfortunate because nothing could be further from the truth. Belief opens you up to God and gives you his Spirit to help reinterpret the world around you. Belief is all about discovery, and just as our relationships with each other are not static, neither is our relationship with God. We are constantly discovering more about God and his world, and we are constantly discovering more about ourselves and those we relate to.
So pour another cup of coffee for you and that friend, open your hearts and minds to each other, and get ready for a surprise. You never know what you might find out while under the influence!
Question: Your “open mind” is like an open window, such that it needs a screen to keep the bugs out! How can you properly screen ideas you come across?
You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/2008/09/03/jf_open-mind/
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JOHN FISCHER, as Senior Writer with PurposeDrivenLife.com, has specialized in a daily devotional that now reaches an audience of over 400,000 people five times a week. John’s career spans over thirty-five years of distinctive ministry, first as a singer/songwriter, recording artist and pioneer of\ Jesus Music, then as a best-selling author, and currently as a popular speaker at conferences, retreats, churches and colleges/universities nationally.
You can contact John at: john.fischer@mac.com or visit his website: http://www.fischtank.com/ft/about.cfm