[Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: When your mind lies to you [1]

By Oke Chinye

Read: Mathew 15:11-20

Meditation verse:

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man” (Mathew 15:18).

Your mind is the element in you that enables you to be aware of the world and your experiences, to think, and to feel; It is the faculty of consciousness and thought. It is your ability to think and reason: the intellect. Your mind can be your greatest weapon for success or your biggest limitation for failure because it can lie to you. These lies are referred to as Cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are the ways in which our mind convinces us of the truth of something that isn’t true. Below are a few of such distortions.

Overgeneralization: When you come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or a single piece of evidence. If something bad happens just once, you expect it to happen repeatedly. Or you see a single, unpleasant event as part of a never-ending pattern of defeat. For instance, if your busines does not do well, you conclude that you are a failure. You fail to see that some other factor outside of you may be responsible, like the market forces or harsh business climate.

Personalization: When you believe that everything others do or say is a direct and personal reaction to you. For instance, if a good friend of yours walks past you on the road without saying hello, you immediately attribute it to something you did or said, without considering that she may just be having a bad day.

Blaming/Denying: When you hold other people responsible for your situation in life. For instance, your father died 30 years ago, yet he is still the reason you have not made progress in life. You may also take the opposite track and blame yourself for every problem — even those clearly outside your own control.

Magnification or Catastrophizing: When you expect disaster to strike, no matter what, or you imagine the absolute worst occurring. You may also exaggerate the impact of an insignificant occurrence such as a little mistake on your part.

Minimization: When you downplay the importance of a positive comment or event or inappropriately shrink the magnitude of significant events until they appear tiny. For instance, if someone pays you a compliment, you down-play it. “Your dress looks nice”, and you say “oh, this cheap or old dress? You downplay the good things you achieve or own. This is quite common with individuals who suffer from a low self-esteem.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

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