Last night I listened to “Fields of Gold” by Sting. This song bears personal significance because I heard it on the radio when I was 8-11 years old. About two weeks ago I heard it again. I couldn’t explain why it struck me so deeply until I remembered my childhood. Lyrics aside, the personal emotional conveyance is a strong positive hope towards romantic relationships. For me, it highlights the beauty and joy of love between a man and a woman. The reason it impacts me so much now is that my personal view towards romance is less than positive, to say it lightly. My hopes have been overshadowed by sorrow. All of my personal forecastings seems accurate in its fears and incorrect in my hearts hopes. Time and time again, I feel tethered to heartbreak, and caged by limitations.
One could encourage me to see it differently, bring back the hope, expect! But for one who’s emotional climate has gone cold, this intended encouragement feels like salt in deep wounds. Encouragement intended to heal, yet coarse, and painful.
Our conscious decision today and chosen thoughts can alter today’s emotional weather. Yet the prevailing climate is deeper than present-day consciousness, it is the accumulation of days, months, and years gone by. It budges less willingly than a fleeting thought or a first time experience. Its strength has been compacted by repetition and strong emotion. A thought pattern, a pattern or path for regular thought has been established.
Yet the answer starts within the conscious mind. In the Bible, Paul said that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty thru God… The effect? “Pulling down strongholds”. Here we find induced patterns of thought.
God is invested in our thought patterns changing, otherwise, he would not have had Paul pen the need for a renewed mind in Romans 12:2.
When I turn my heart to the Lord, He brings His word. His word is his message to you from His heart. His word comes to us in a variety of ways. Whether He brought this song to mind or not, the song is a gentle reminder of a time of hope and a forecast of joy in romantic love. Its what I’ve needed this week. It has been encouraging, comforting, and exhorts me to remember.
Though the climate of my heart has clouded over, I will rejoice at the rays of hope brought to me from my Father. Even if it is thru the means of a song I haven’t heard since I was a child. We can always choose to hope, in spite of the climate.