Have you ever played pin the tail on the donkey? It is a game that was played at birthday parties when I was growing up. The objective of the game, you guessed it, is to pin the tail on the donkey. There is a catch though, you are blindfolded, spun around, and then you attempt to pin the tail on the donkey. It is a fun game, guaranteed to make everyone laugh as the participants attempt to pin the tail on the donkey.
Playing The Game
Each participant receives a tail to pin to the donkey. Then they put on a blindfold. After that someone spins you around enough to make them dizzy. Once the spinning stops the participant heads in the direction, they believe the donkey is located.
Disoriented and unsure of taking the first wobbly step forward you would hear laughter from your friends and hesitate. Questions would start running through your head.
How close am I to the wall? What happens if I fall? Will I be able to take another step?
With uncertainty the next wobbly step brought a fiery dart. Doubt
Another wobbly step and another fiery dart. Fear
As you regained your balance, your next step became firm, and your thoughts more focused on your purpose. Excitement
You finally make it to the donkey, take off the blindfold and reveal you had successfully pinned the tail on the donkey.
You WIN!
How many times in life have you been left disoriented and allowed your thoughts to get the best of you?
Our thoughts can become a tangled-up mess and leave us tied to the past. Subconsciously, an overthinker will hit rewind and replay conversations throughout the day. Being stuck on replay and overthinking each situation throughout our day can lead us down a path to mental health issues. God does not want this for us. We are to take our thoughts captive.
Are you an overthinker?
Did you know that donkeys are overthinkers?
These animals tend to get a bad reputation for being stubborn when in all actuality they are cautious. They will stop and assess the situation when they sense they are in danger. The donkey refuses to move even when its owner tries to get it to move until it feels safe to do so, hence the perception of stubbornness.
Facts About Donkeys
They can weigh up to 500 pounds.
They have great memories.
They’re ears keep them cool.
They like company.
They are considered stubborn.
Do your loved ones consider you to be stubborn?
Do you play out the worst-case scenario and then play out the best-case scenario?
Do you replay the conversations you had throughout the day?
Do you cautiously take your next step?
So, Are You An Overthinker?
If you answered yes to the questions listed above, then there is a good possibility that you, my friend, are an overthinker. Being an overthinker isn’t a bad thing, but it can keep us so tied up and tangled up, that Jesus is no longer our focus.
We become distracted by the knots of who, what, when, where, why and how. When our thoughts consume us, it becomes a damper on communication. We become distracted and we do not listen to the person talking to us. The same can happen when God is trying to talk to us. At that point we are exactly where the devil wants us. We’re not wrapped up in Jesus, we’re tied up and tangled up in distress.
While the knots appear to give us a good grip, they are actually slowing us down. If we allow them, our thoughts can paralyze us from doing what God has called us to do. It’s only when we are willing to untie our thoughts and let go of the rope that we can pursue the calling He has on our lives.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
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