I have to stop and think. I read books, but without internalizing them, I immediately forget what they have taught me. I have turned from the mirror and plunged into forgetfulness. At work, I get into funks where I constantly gather information about a bug without thinking it through, whereas if I stopped for a moment or two to ponder why the bug happened, I could deduce very quickly how to fix it and not waste time debugging. This is why I value deep/quality conversations with people so much: they are intensive (causing me to think a lot, not just hear), and by being thorough and honest with everyone involved, I can fully digest what others are saying and formulate and know my own positions and thoughts on a certain subject. As the thorns choked the seed, I often am choked by my own consumption of information: processing that information destroys those thorns and brings freedom and understanding.

I feel as though I've peeked into the inner workings of God: His Spirit speaks to us through thoughts that are ignited and led by Him. The Bible gives us a springboard, the Spirit clarifies and expounds. If we don't think, we don't give Him the opportunity to work in us, and we are choked by the very information we consume, even when that information is His Word. This thinking is manifested in many ways, specifically laid out by Lecto Divina:

1.) Read the word. Saturate yourself in it. Listen for God's voice.

2.) Think about it. Meditate on it. Consider it from different angles.

3.) Pray in light of what you've read.

4.) Live what you've read. Put it into action.

In all of these steps, we come to a stop and give our attention to God. In this we are free to hear Him and ruminate on His ways and wisdom and the word before us. It becomes more than information, but wisdom and, ultimately, life. How awesome is this! (Lectio Divina stuff gleaned from Praise Habit quoting The Message Remix)

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