“Taking every thought captive to obey Christ.” — 2 Cor. 10:5

I have been thinking lately about what it really means to take every thought captive. Thomas Goodwin wrestled with this question in his book The Vanity of Thoughts, and his words have pressed deeply on me: “As for the inward thoughts, men use to think them free. But know that God is a God of thoughts, and therefore thoughts must be accounted for.”

I love thoughts. I love  a good book, notes scribbled in the margins of a used book, and the joy of discovering a new quote that perfectly captures something I’ve struggled to put into words. I love rereading and sharing old quotes that have impacted me.  I love dipping into the writings of great Christians throughout history, and I feel thankful to live in a time where so many of their works are available at my fingertips. It feels like being surrounded by a vast ocean of wisdom, a great cloud of witnesses. Yet, sometimes I feel overwhelmed in that ocean, swimming in everyone else’s well organized thoughts and forgetting to tend to my own that feel more like wildflowers and weeds sometimes.

That is where I sense the Spirit pressing on me. It is wonderful to enjoy the reflections of others, but I am still accountable for cultivating my own inner life. Not all thoughts are created equal  My thoughts are mine to guard, mine to weigh against God’s Word, mine to surrender to Christ. What I meditate on shapes my affections, my convictions, and eventually my words. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” Matt. 12:34. A righteous person brings forth treasures old and new Matt. 13:52.

Goodwin described this so vividly when he wrote: “A good thought is as a grain of gold, which though it be small, yet hath great worth in it.” in his book The Vanity of Thoughts.   That line lingers with me, for it is exactly how I see the thoughts the Lord has granted me. They are like small pieces of gold, sometimes rough, sometimes unfinished,  but worth treasuring, polishing, and storing up. I also see some as magnificent pieces of artwork that I want to hang onto.

Sometimes I imagine my mind as a kind of gallery, filled with portraits of God’s truth. Each thought, each remembered verse, each lesson learned in prayer hangs there, ready to be revisited. The Lord has given me truths that I can bring out, enjoy again, and share with others. I do try to polish them over time,  lest they grow dusty and dull. Thoughts require tending when you take ownership of them and value them as your own priceless  treasures. Otherwise,  they are just borrowed words or passing insights.  They must become mine, engraved and displayed regularly in my heart, stored where I can return to them again and again.

At the same time, I grieve over how easily thoughts can be wasted. Goodwin observed, “When men’s thoughts are let loose, they go roving up and down, like masterless vagabonds, running into all excess of vanity.” How often I see this in myself  chasing after empty distractions, pointless thinking instead of disciplining my mind to dwell on the treasures God has given. And how often I see it in others, who brush past truths with a nod, only to keep feeding on the world’s noise instead. I grieve that they are missing it, that they can’t see what I see displayed and appreciate it more.

But there is hope here too. Goodwin also encourages us:

“Treasure up good thoughts, make much of them, and often call them to mind; they will be as ready money by you in a time of need.”

This is the call,  to gather truth, to treasure it, and to return to it again and again until it shapes the overflow of our hearts.

When I pause long enough to treasure the thoughts God has given, I find riches stored there. Riches not meant to be hoarded, but shared. Like a photographer who captures a breathtaking landscape, I want to frame glimpses of God’s beauty and truth, to preserve them in memory and offer them to others. My attempts will always be imperfect, but even the imperfect captures of God’s truth hold value. They become treasures to enrich my life and, by God’s grace, something worth sharing. As one going out on a safari brings home their moments or as one photographer in National Geographic tries to capture the beauty of a moment of the world around them, let us try to do our greatest attempts to capture the beauty & wonder of God & His truth. Our attempts will be imperfect but even our attempts to frame what we see has great value & can become great treasures to us to enjoy the rest of our lives & to share & share them with.

Taking every thought captive, then, is not merely an act of discipline but an act of treasuring. It is the work of curating the gallery of my own heart, arranging there the truths God has revealed, and returning to them often. Though my attempts will always be imperfect, they can still form the richest gallery I am capable of in this life, a storehouse of God’s wisdom, beauty, and truth to enjoy, to live by, and to share with others.