According to an October 29, 1994 story from Reuters news agency, a Chinese woman named Zhang Meihua began to suffer from mysterious symptoms when she turned twenty. She was losing the ability to nimbly move her legs and arms. Doctors could not find the cause, and the symptoms continued to increase. Two decades passed, and Zhang began to suffer from chronic headaches. Again, she sought help from the doctors. This time a CAT scan and an X-ray found the source of her mysterious symptoms: a rusty pin was lodged in her head. The head of the pin was outside of the skull, and the shaft penetrated into her brain. Doctors performed surgery and successfully extracted the pin. The Xinhua news agency reported that the doctors expressed amazement that this woman “could live for so long a time with a rusty pin stuck in her brain.” After noting the position of the pin in her skull, they speculated that the pin had entered her skull sometime soon after birth and before her skull had hardened. Zhang, who fully recovered, said she “had no memory of being pierced by a pin in the head.” 

Like a rusty pin in the head, negative thoughts pierce through our mind and render chaos throughout our faith. Many people have constructed a model of behavior out of their negative experiences and fears, which have become the framework that they carry throughout their life. Without being aware of this destructive “pin” inside their mind, they are governed by its symptoms; these symptoms include a loss of: faith, risk-taking, trust, positivity, hope, joy, optimism, self-worth, and divine purpose. The question we must ask ourselves is: “What pin is inside my head?” We all have a pin that plagues us and paralyzes our progress. Are you ready for the good news? This pin can be removed. We can experience freedom from the limiting factors that hold us back. Jesus came to set us free from yesterday, to make a way for us today, in order to be with us for eternity. His power can overcome all of our shortcomings.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Keep your mind on the right things, and do not allow your thoughts to drift aimlessly. When your mind wanders, it travels to places it probably should not. People allow anger to build when their minds wander with hurt. When someone criticizes you or looks at you wrong, you may start to open the door for pride, unforgiveness, and bitterness. You may say things like, “Who do they think they are?” or “They don’t know who they’re talking to!” This is why we must keep our thoughts from opening the door to sin. When this type of pride gets inside of us, it spreads like poison. Shut out temptation by not granting it access to your life. Sin tries to crawl its way into our mind so it can slip into our actions. Always ask yourself, “Am I thinking the way God wants me to think?” When you keep your mind on Godly thoughts you barricade sin’s entry point.

*Taken from my book Faithology: 12 Ideas To Rock Your Faith