A Time to Turn Away

I am currently 33 weeks pregnant and if you’ve been here before, you know the feeling. For those who have yet to experience the pre-baby jitters, surely you have crossed paths with one or two women who have. From which travel system to register for to maternity leave to balancing new mom responsibilities once returning to work, early in the morning, what ifs begin to ruminate and continue to build as the day goes by. Leading a conference room can play tricks on you when your mind is…well, overwhelmed; however, you still do it with grace, poise, and power. Or… do you think otherwise?

The other day my husband reminded me there is a time for everything. “A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. ”A time to turn away,” particularly caught my attention and immediately ¡ya! raced out of my lips (which means, enough).I tell this to myself and to those who currently or often face double-mindedness, regardless of your nationality, regardless if you’re pregnant, and regardless of your job description.

The word double-minded sounds very Hollywood, but did you know the Bible warns against this? In fact, in his New Testament letter, James uses the term double-minded twice. So what is this thing called double-mindedness, and what are its consequences?

For starters, the Greek word translated “double-minded” is dipsuchos, from dis, meaning “twice,” and psuche, meaning “mind.” It’s used to describe someone who is divided in his/her interests or loyalties, wavering, uncertain, two-faced, half-hearted. Being double-minded is a problem that can damage anyone and can manifest itself in several areas of their lives. Who really wants a double-minded employee, leader, girl friend, wife or mom?

Double-mindedness can creep into our attitude, plus it can steal who “you” are meant to become. Instead, we should go beyond just feeling good to actually striving to be good. A pleasant, satisfied feeling can deceive us into thinking we have accomplished something when we haven’t or vice versa, we could feel like nothing when we’ve gained much.

As women, it’s critical to take every thought captive. You see, our thoughts are the first to be triggered in the chain-reaction of our actions. They stir up our emotions, influence our choices, and then our choices produce our paths. Thus, whatever controls our thinking will ultimately be what controls our lives.

Our minds are not just our thoughts or our reason or our intellect; instead, it’s a whole conceptual process. The fact that the battle of our every step really is waged in our minds is pretty incredible. We’re either going to be single-minded where we motivate and direct all our actions or double-minded; blocking the true solution of your equation. Which are you?

Mavian Arocha-Rowe, is an asset to the publishing industry, allocating her strengths in writing and research to developing thought-provoking profiles and informational editorial, which have been published in a variety of media outlets. She is currently the director on content and brand communications for Vacation Express and founding editor for Strategy Magazine, where she received accolades from FOLIO Magazine and the Library Journal. She provides business tips to the ambitious professionals who are thirsty to reinvent themselves, as well as business leaders who are striving to build a legacy. Arocha-Rowe takes pride in being an American Latina, is a Speaker and Advocate for WellSpring Living, where they serve survivors of childhood abuse and exploitation, and has guided businesswomen with her on-air contributions to CNN en Español’s NotiMujer.