Being shallow minded clouds our ability to see things clearly. Why? Because being shallow minded doesn’t think much beyond superficialities. In fact, shallow means not deep.
Remember the move, ”Shallow Hal”? Jack Black portrays a very shallow and narrow mind man, who takes the advice of his dying father and only looks for women who epitomizes perfection. His ideal of perfection only looked outward and failed to detect what was on the inside. Until he meets the self-help guru, who hypnotizes him.
While under hypnosis he meets his dream girl, or so he thinks- until he’s no longer under the spell and sees that she is not his ideal of perfection. She’s not even close. At first, he’s sick to his stomach and mortified by her appearance. He becomes despondent and withdraws from the relationship. However, he realizes the foolishness of his thinking and he immediately attempts to rectify the relationship.
Sometimes our shallow mindedness leads us to wrong conclusions about what is real and what is important, especially when it comes to how we view God. Our view of God and who He is shapes and molds our thinking about a lot of things. For example, if we view God is small then we will fail to see how he orchestrates the details of our lives. If we view God as a harsh judge then we cannot see him as a loving father. In other words, if we limit our view of God, we limit our ability to see that He is both a good Father and a righteous judge. He cannot be one without being the other. As a result, we limit God and his power to work in and through us.
The best way to move beyond our shallow mindedness is to seek God with the whole of our hearts. Be open to His Word that is both living and active. (Hebrews 4:12) Allow the power of the Holy Spirit to transform our thinking and rest in the beauty of His presence and His promise.
Kelly Yarborough 