Where's My Mind?

I’ve been doing a fair amount of research lately on the Biblical understanding of the heart.  At the onset of Piper’s initial diagnosis, I came across a definition of the heart from God’s point of view, that was written by a Christian author and evangelist/teacher whose ministry Piper and I connected with in the early years of our marriage.  Within the book I was reading, the author related the Biblical story from Luke 16:19-31 of The Rich Man and Lazarus the beggar that Jesus told.

The part that caught my attention was when he explained the interactions between the two individuals AFTER they had died.  It seemed that once their spirits had left their physical bodies that they still had their memories and with it the ability to recall information, formulate and articulate thoughts into words and recall the sights, sounds and events of their physical lives. 

With that, the author explained his understanding that the mind is actually a part of man’s spirit and NOT of the physical brain since these two individuals had died, left their bodies (and their brains) behind but could still communicate normally in the afterlife.  At the time, this thought really excited me as I thought about Piper’s memory still being able to function even though her physical brain was beginning to deteriorate.

Through the years that followed, this idea seemed to prove out to me as Piper never lost the glow of light in her eyes and continued to recognize individuals she knew.  As things progressed, you had to look closely for the signs of recognition as they were not always as clear as the smile she gave to our neighbor two weeks before passing.

And then I heard another teaching recently that reignited my enthusiasm for studying the heart of man.  I was lying on the bed just before turning the light out for the night and was enjoying another Christian teaching on TV when the speaker used the same section of scripture and went on to explain in a little more detail what I had read years before.  I got so excited that I jumped up from the bed, looked at the dog asleep in his bed and literally yelled “That’s it!  That’s it!  That’s what I heard and agreed with before!”

Since that night a few weeks back, I have been looking for other verses that would confirm this teaching and have been pleasantly surprised that it is actually a common explanation.  This morning I was studying in Psalm 37:4 where David writes, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (KJV)  As I began to do a word study, I quickly ascertained all the powerful truths in that one little verse and how they were proved true in Piper’s and my experience over the last 10 years.  But for now, I’ll concentrate on the Hebrew and Greek definitions of the word translated 'heart.'

In the King James Version of the Old Testament, the vast majority of the 727 uses of the word ‘heart’ are defined as “the feelings, the inner man, the mind, thinking, memory” (Strong’s/Brown-Driver-Briggs – Strong’s #H3020)  In the New Testament almost all of the 106 uses of the word ‘heart’ are used to describe “the thoughts or feeling” or “the mind.” (Thayer’s Greek Definitions- Strong’s # G2588)

I’m sure that we’ve all read or heard testimonies of people who have died and went to heaven only to come right back as loved one’s on the earth prayed for them.  In all of the accounts I’ve read, heard or seen, the individuals always describe people that they saw in heaven who recognized them.  There is also the account of Jesus and the three disciples who accompanied Him up to the mount of transfiguration and there communicated with Moses and Elijah.  It’s obvious that the two visitors had their minds functioning in order to fellowship.  Then of course, there is the discussion of the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1 that have gone to heaven before us and now cheer on our spiritual progress from the great hall in heaven.

So… I am even more convinced now about this truth than I was back when I first came across this discussion.  And after living through Piper’s example of one whose heart was actively filled with the Word of God and therefore enhanced her ability to push past the destruction of her physical brain in order to speak to us… I can’t deny the unusual wonders and plans of God’s creative genius!

There is a lot more to this subject, but I’m running out of room for today’s post, so I’ll continue next week with some of the ramifications of this thought and how they answered many of the questions I’ve had along the path of Piper’s and my recent journey!  I also believe that it can help each us in communicating with and ministering to those around us with dementia related illnesses.

So, until then, have a great weekend, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to gain a whole new understanding to I Corinthians 2:16 where it tells me that ‘I have the mind of Christ!’”