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Dr. Del Tackett is the author, architect and teacher for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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Pebbles in My Mind
Posted on September 10, 2007
Filed Under Personal, Worldview |
As I was halfway through my run this morning, I became aware of a sharp pain in the bottom of my right foot. I have felt this kind of thing before.
It was a stone in my shoe.
With every step, this stone was making an impression upon the nerves in my heel. Those nerves were sending little messages to my brain. My brain was interpreting those messages and informing me that not only was there “something” in my shoe, but it was a sharp and painful “something”.
In the past, I have stopped at this point and taken the time to remove my shoe and dump the “something” on the ground. But not today. No, today I was feeling stubborn. I continued to run because I didn’t want to take the time to stop, untie my shoe, take it off, remove the stone, put my shoe back on, and then tie the laces again. I chose to ignore it and continue running.
But ignoring it didn’t work.
The stone began to grow. With each step, it seemed to get larger and more painful. I then began to flex my arch and rotate my ankle a little, thinking I could “bounce” the rock to another part of my shoe and eliminate or reduce the pain. That actually worked, but only for a short while. After a few steps, the boulder would “bounce” back to another painful spot.
This now became a challenge. Me versus “the stone”. Who would win? I’m sure to anyone who was watching, it must have looked very weird: running on the outside of my foot, then the inside, then the heel, then the toes.
Is this stupid or what?
Well, I don’t know who really won. I made it home without giving in, but the second half of my run today wasn’t very pleasant. And, as you already have guessed, when I did finally take off my shoe, the “boulder” wasn’t much more than a tiny pebble. 
Here it is…barely visible.
Then, as some rationality started to return, I began to think about the applications of this to my life in general. How often do I neglect to deal with the small “pebbles” that work their way into my life because I am just too busy to stop or think I can work around them? So much better to deal with them as soon as they arise.
And, how did this irritant get into my shoe in the first place? Because I have neglected repairing the hole in the side of my shoe. I suppose I should just break down and pay the money for a new pair, but I don’t want to.
I was thinking that my shoe is like my mind. Sometimes I leave “holes” or opportunities for little pebbles to get into it. And, when they do, I am not always quick to deal with it early rather than let it bounce around and eventually become a mountain. Sometimes, to be very honest, I think I actually harbor those negative thoughts because I want to: prideful thoughts, vengeful thoughts, self-hatred thoughts, “poor-me” thoughts, worry, bitterness, anger, lust, jealousy…is there no end to the list of pebbles that work their way into my thinking?
The Scripture admonishes us to not let these pebbles hang around. For example, we are told to not let the sun go down on our anger. That means, if you have a pebble of anger in your mind, deal with it before dusk. Hebrews 12:15 addresses how a root of bitterness can grow up to “cause trouble and defile many”. I’ve seen the fruit of bitterness in people’s lives and it can destroy them…often starting with the smallest and most insignificant of a pebble, but then growing and festering until it consumes them.
In James, we are reminded of how these small things, left to themselves, will follow a devastating path:
…each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1: 14-15)
So, let us consider how to “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5) and stop at the first sign of infiltration and remove the little pebble. The rest of our walk or run will be so much more pleasant!
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28 Responses to “Pebbles in My Mind”
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Dr. Tackett,
Looks like you need a shoe doctor to “shoe” the pebbles out and mend the hole that allows the pebbles to get in!
A dear brother and I were just talking today about this very issue of thoughts. Where do thoughts come from anyway???
You’re so right…many times “pebbles” become “boulders” in my mind because I welcomed it in the first place.
But it was such a teeny tiny “pebble”!! So cute! I can control it! Sure is a hungry one! I won’t feed it much tho’! Like someone said - the human mind is most resourceful when involved in self-justification!
Thanks for the illustration! And by the way…Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lk. IN has a nice conference center that would be great for a Truth Pro. event!
His4ever,
Mike Weaver
P.S. Thank you Kelly and Karen for your prayers and encouragement in response to my “super-struggler” comment in Aug. God is answering your prayers by helping me to put Him first at the beginning of each day. His Word is powerful!
It is wonderful to be in this meta-revolution with people I’ve never met! See you there!
Del-
This blog posting was a blessing to me… made me think of many things taht I’m allowing to paralyze me… little things that I make into big things. My prayer at FFI (and ever since then:) is to take every thought captive… thanks for the reminder!
I’m starting my first Truth Project group next week! I’m SO excited to see how God is going to work in the group and in ME! I’m praying for you and this ministry DAILY! Please know that you’re being lifted up in prayer every day! Praise GOD for what he’s doing and continuing to do through you and The Truth Project.
I’ve been reminded of the phrase you often say: SOLI DEO GLORIA! and I decided to post it all over my classroom (I’m a teacher in a public school). May everything I do in my classroom… may God get the glory for all of it!
Thanks for being you Dr. Tackett. You’ve been a huge blessing in my life.
Crystal Becker
Des Moines, IA
FFI Alum (Summer 2005)
Hello Del…We are coming to Focus on the Family this weekend for Focus over Fifty Impace Summit. Sunday night we had our third Truth Project lesson. We have 6 couples (very busy people) taking part. This is the third time we have attempted to get it started. The first time (September 20,2006) I, Sam, developed a bacterial infection in my spine and had to have major surgery to have 2 vertebrae replaced in November…The next time in February 2007 we had to cancel it because I found I was still not strong enough to begin our Sunday night gatherings.
We are going full steam ahead now and everyone is very excited to be involved and learning. They especially appreciate you as our tour guide!
Thank you. We are looking forward to hearing you at the Summit. God Bless You…Sam and Glenny
Dr. Tackett-
This posting was such a blessing to me! I so often try to ignore the “little” thoughts, sins, and “somethings” in my life. At FFI God led me to the scripture in 2 Corinthians 10 on taking every thought captive… It’s been my prayer every since then to be obedient to God in that way!
I’m starting my first Truth Project study this next week, and I am SO excited to see what God is going to teach me and do through the people in the study! Know that the Truth Project is such a blessing to many people. God is doing such amazing things through it! Praise GOD!
God has really laid the phrase SOLI DEO GLORIA on my heart yet again. I actually printed the phrases and hung them up around my classroom (I teach in a public school:). May God always get ALL the glory!
SOLI DEO GLORIA!
Crystal Becker
FFI Alum Summer 2005
Des Moines, IA
I agree to the statement that you made. I guess that is why we are to be like the pebble for someone who can’t for some reason or another follow Christ. As a pebble is a reminder to us we are the reminder that Christ came for us all and not just a few.
Dear Dr. Tackett, your teaching and the things you share are invaluable to me! What a great lesson! God speaks to me when I’m walking/running, too. He never stops trying to get us to that better place. He just loves us too much to leave us where we are! I pray He continues to “grow” you and that you will continue to share your lessons. Ann Younger, Sugar Land Texas
Thank you, Dr. Tackett. I am currently learning about the Christian discipline of cutting off the offending arm or gouging out the eye that leads to sin, and not only that, but to do it as soon as it is recognized as a problem. This was a wonderful reminder. God bless you!
Stephen
Fellow Perseverance Runner (Phil 3),
So… Why did you put your pebble on something that has “In God We Trust”? It’s interesting to me that we walk around with our pockets full of God’s “trust”. I know that perhaps this may stir debate regarding the object of the trust, but I also think that sometimes the pebble supersedes trust and becomes the focus of what we desire.
Our perspective becomes skewed and we lose sight of the actual trust in God that we sought after.
Anxiety becomes the focus, pain becomes the focus, and our will, just as your will in the illustration was to beat it on your own, becomes the avenue of choice bruising our ego’s and well being each step we take.
This dialogue brought deeper introspection to me to seek after the LORD with all my “trust”. Thanks for reminding me that the object of my trust determines my days.
…being confident that He who began the work in “Andrew” will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus…(paraphrase of Phil.1:6)… What a glorious day that will be!
My husband and I are just finishing out last session of the Truth Project and would like to thank Focus on the Family for an awesome tool to spread the truth of the gospel. I never realized how many little lies we all but into in our every day lives. The truth project as really make me much more aware of is that the truth according to the heart and mind of God or according to the culture. I am glad to say some of our participants has equally been touched. one particpants response was that the “Truth Project Bible study has changed his life” What great news that what it’s all helping others to be set free by the truth of God’s Will & Ways. May the Lord bless all who take the time to spread this very important message to others ( believers and non-belivers alike)
Thank you for your words of wisdoms about the pebbles that work their way into our lives. Your illustration of the pebble in the shoe was right on. Being runner myself I could totally relate and in fact had a pebble in my shoe (literally) this past weekend during a marathon. I ran through it for several miles — doing the exact same things you did but finally the pebble won out and I had to remove the shoe to root out the source of pain. I didn’t think much about it at the time until I read your blog.
What a wonderful way for God to speak to me about removing some of those pebbles that I have left in my heart for too long — unresolved anger, bitterness. It is time for me to take my thoughts captive and give my past wounds over to God.
Thank you for your wonderful illustration.
God Bless,
Cheri
Oh what a great words of wisdom. I often hear and read the scripture “take your thoughts captive”. I try so hard but my mind takes off and I can not get it back. I suffer from obsivous thoughts. It can be very debiladating at times. Thank you for the pebble demostration. I think I will get a pebble for my pocket. God Bless…
Excellent article! Thanks!
Our church is starting it’s first Truth Project Group in just a few weeks. Please pray for wide participation by our people.
Pastor Mark Curts
Transitional Pastor
Dr. T.
This story spoke to me - and obviously to many others. I wish I’d read this earlier today to help counsel a couple I’ve been working with for months. It’s such a good analogy, that I’ll be sending them a copy. These “tiny pebbles” are also like seeds growing “wild” and out of control in our minds like weeds in the fields. But we actually have more control than we think we do. When we feel weak and overtaken by “thought pebbles”, we have the entire power of heaven behind us. We can call upon God to help us be strong, and to take our thoughts captive. God has equipped us to do this in His Word. Thank you for this great reminder of that fact with this story.
Blessings to you and yours,
RH
+
I enjoyed your story on the pebble. The pebble is better than the rocks, we sometime carry in our Security Bag, but neither are good.
Since completing The Truth Project, I have a greater understanding of many Truths.
We are presenting our first class in our home and it is going very well. We have five ladies and two men.
My goal is to take this message into any home who will gather four or five of their neighbors to attend.
Thanks for all of your work.
Eileen Kracker
Ocala, Fl
Del, Your illustration is so true; I wish we all stopped to think about the consequences of the pebbles in our lives. I am going through the process of divorce partly because my spouse allowed small pebbles of lust and dissatisfaction to creep into our marriage. The pattern is all to familiar, predictable and sad. James 1:15 tell us the sequence of events if we don’t deal with pebbles before they grow into rocky hard hearts!
Dr. Tackett, our Pastor asked ten from our church to view the truth project before offering it to our congregation, and the excitement just after the first session wascontagious. since then we are currently going on our third session as iy was offered as a teaching between our services. The evidence is all around us today for false truth’s, my prayer is that this teaching will equip believers to stand firmly for Christ.Thank you, Mark D.
This is a new site for me and I was blessed by the story of the pebble. I am not a runner but I still have been asualted by many “pebbles” in my time. This has reminded me that the Lord showed me some time ago that once entertained these thoughts take on a life of their own. It doesen’t matter if we think we are feeding them or not,if we don’t expose and kill them with the light, they will live on to become a true boulder.Praise God for exchanges like these to keep God’s teachings active in our lives and the opportunity to share with Brothers and Sisters.
Del, as I write this, we are already in Colorado Springs for the Focus over Fifty Impact Summit. We have started our third group in the The Truth Project. We are being changed and pray the our participants are, too. What a blessing to know that God is using The Truth Project in a powerful way. You continue to be a blessing in our lives. May God continue to bless you and your commitment to Him.
Dear Del:
My wife and I were fortunate enough to attend the Truth Project in Kansas City, MO. It was awesome and we came home and showed it to our church. We are about to start the second session of the Truth Project this next Sunday. I am calling it The Truth Project Revisited.
My wife is taking a ladies group through the Truth Project in a town not too far from us. It is exciting to see what the Lord is doing through these truths.
One exciting part of the showing was when one of our men said, “Del Tacket?” “I wonder if its the same Del Tacket I went to school with? When I showed the session about who you are, he said, “Yep, that’s him!”
You transfered to KC area your junior year in High School. You probably played sports with Bob Rakoski. Bob remembers you and has wondered about writing you. I hope he does.
Bob became a Christian about 30 years ago after being an alcoholic. God’s grace is truly magnificant!
Keep up the good work you are doing for the Lord.
Mike Langford, pastor
Berwick Community Church
Pierce City, MO
Dr. Tackett -
I am new to “The Truth Project” and I would simply like to say thank you for having this out there for those of us like myself who constantly need a challenge to keep my mind sharp. The story of the pebble in your shoe is so pertinent and relevant. I have been reminded lately how the Lord prunes us and takes out the bad, however we must be willing to let this happen. So many times it is easier to let the bad remain. Thank you for encouraging me to take the more difficult path and work out the log in my eye or the pebble in my shoe. I know I can do this only with the Lord’s help and sustenance.
Thank you for relating personally to me.
Tami Miller
Winona Lake, IN
Thanks. My pebbles start small, and i let them remain there. I need a lot of prayer to focus on God, the truth, and discernment. My anxiety takes over in my life. I want to start acting like the victorious child of God that I am. I would really like to feel that way!
What a blessing your writing is!
Dear Dell
I really don’t know where to begin. I was called into the ministry in Nov 2000 to wake up the church. How can one man wake up the church? I asked my self. My call was related to the fact that I was desiring for God to become reality for that was my real perception of what faith is. Not what I had learned or was taught faith, but a real faith in God’s reality. I believe that is the big problem with Christians today is that God hasn’t become real to them.
When I learned about the truth project I had to make the trip to Colorado Springs to see first hand. In Chapter 6 you talked about our responsibility to become stepping stones. I have talked wiht a filipino Pastor in San Diego and a hispanic pastor here in Missouri and they have been teaching along some of these same lines but knew nothing of the Truth Project. This told me that God is awakening many of us to wake up the church to the reality of God.
We have three small groups going and three have already decided to start small groups and we will work in conjunction with each other to do this and reach as many as we can. We are going to start the first of the year with starting each new group about 4 weeks apart so when someone comes in to a group but would like to begin in the beginning then we can direct them to the group that is just starting.
One of our small groups is pastors of different denominations and they also will be doing small groups within their churches.
God Bless you
Del, your series on the truth project was awesome. My husband and I have been studying about Cultural Marxism and the the world view vs.
Biblical view. Too bad most Christians are just happy,clappy and do not even know enough to defend or bring others to the reasoning that the
devil is real and does not sleep and we need a strong revival of Bible believing Christians that actually study to be reproved. Well, the Truth project at our church was just fabulous. We are now teaching it to the kids. Thank You.
AS far as the pebble that is my pebble that grows deeper, I pray so very long and hard for the word to again be a priority as this nation has lost the thought. The thought is Bible Doctrine. We must get back to it.
God Bless
Kate Patrick
Thank You for loving the Lord, his word in flesh and serving the living God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. The world hates Jesus and are lovers of
lust and pleasures not truth. God has appointed you to tell the truth. Thank You for rising to the occasion.
Hey Dr. Tackett,
I certainly like what you have to say and really appreciate the picture here the Lord has given you. I am however struggling with that phrase you used “negative thoughts”…I think that just as the scripture you quote calls sin sin, we too ought to use that word the world recoils at.
The things you listed are sins, and many are the deeds of the flesh. Negative thoughts however are not sinful, Jesus had many a negative thought about much of the world especially the Pharisees. And the Christian life is not the struggle between positive and negative thinking, it is the daily life of walking after the spirit or in sin pursuing our flesh.
It just hit me as a little bit of the power of positive thinking stuff which I know you don’t promote. What do you think am I just overly sensitive to that phrase or do you think there is something here?
warmly,
Charlie Markle
I have been running through life with so many ‘bolders’ that I forgot that the ‘run’ was good for me and enjoyable.
I removed a small thorn from my son’s foot the other day. We were commenting on how such a small thing can annoy the rest of the body. So, what do we do with the thorn…remove it. Simple, yet, we let it annoy us until we are so unhappy that we let it flow over into our everyday life. I am the queen of this. I have taken an active stand and am stepping down from my ‘throne’. Every morning I pray for God to remove the thorns in my life. To do His will not mine.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Through Him and Him alone.
I heard this story in devotions at work yesterday.
I love stories.
This was a good one that has the right stuff - the ability to cause people to meditate on truth. I love it.
What I got out of it was blended with what I am reading during my time alone with Jesus in the mornings, the book of Job.
Sometimes it isn’t the hole in your shoe, or even where you ran or what you did that brought the pain. You may actually be doing everything well, and the pain can come.
Jim Daly’s book covers that well in “Finding Home”, I just finished that too.
Pain is part of life sometimes.
The story of the man born blind in John 9 was the devotion this morning before work, who caused it, why did this happen, all these questions that are sometimes hard to answer. Sometimes crippling.
I’m still processing this one, I want to “get it all” as Jesus trains me in this lesson.
What I have leart so far isn’t too profound, but works for me.
Whatever the pain, where ever it comes from, I need to take it to Jesus and trust that the answer is found in His presence as to how to cope with it, get rid of it, learn from it.
As I meditate on the things God shows me I find, well, answers that lead to more questions.
Not in a bad way, but good.
But he’s like that.
Job 26:14 follows a list of phenominal things God does and then says,”these are but the fringe of His works…how faint the whispers we hear of Him.” “Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”
That is so cool.
Good Story, may all who read it have good endings!
How encouraging, your thoughts about a verse that I just memorized a few weeks ago! Thanks!