Sunday 11 January 2009

Dichotomising

Which rules you more? a) Your head; b) Your heart.
My thoughts responded: Well, I'd naturally say my head - but the heart controls our desires really: the Scripture says that we follow the desires of the heart. But we are to counter by setting our minds on the things of Christ. Hm. Head or heart? Which rules you more? What a dreadful false dichotomy: this is one reason why I hate such personality type tests, although I was persuaded they may be useful in considering job suitability. However, then I realised that I'd just responded to the question itself with a line of reasoning, so in personality type terms, rather than Biblical terms, perhaps I'm more of a head person than a heart person. Eugh.
May the mind of Christ my Saviour
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me,
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.

Kate Barclay Wilkinson (1859-1928)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the EMU music version of this hymn, it is one of my favourites.

étrangère said...

Ah yes, but as we sing it heartily enough to the old tune, which is one of the ones our elderly pianist can play, we'll stick with that!