SELF-TALK
It’s called self-talk. It’s the internal conversation that goes on all the time in our heads as we steer through life. Sometimes it’s a dialogue expressed more by mood than specifically formed thoughts. At other times, as we give ourselves to intricate problem solving, we may place our head in our hands and methodically plod through various sentences and statements. And sometimes self talk is about our reactions, as we mentally articulate our responses to what goes on around us. Fighting jet lag this morning, I found myself meandering down a negative self-talk pathway. I caught myself before the internal chatter became too heavy and self indulgent.
Solomon shares with us: ‘I said to myself’ – some translations render this, ‘I thought in my heart’ (Ecclesiastes 2:1a). He’s referring to that inner decision that he made as he set his course towards the wilder side of his life experiment. Sharp commentators have noticed that he didn’t pray about these choices or even enter into conversation about them with another human being; his choice to head for the seedier side of life was all of his own independent making. He didn’t even take time to reflect on the terrible mess that his father, David, got into when he made disastrous moral choices. Solomon’s headstrong behaviour is a sharp reminder to us all to live prayerfully and take counsel from others around us whom we trust to tell us the truth. The voice of us inside us may tell us to do some very destructive things indeed. Perhaps you’re feeling strongly inclined to do something, but there’s been no prayer or consultation. Let’s do more than, ‘say to ourselves’ or ‘think in our hearts.’