An Open Mind is a Wonderful Thing

I have always been a ranch dressing kind of girl. Whenever we go out to eat it's always ranch on my salad. Why? Because ranch is so good. Ranch I can count on to give me a wonderful taste sensation in my mouth every single time. BUT, as of late I've come to find out that there are other good dressings out there, ones that are even better than ranch. I have a new favorite. Out with the old, in with the new. Bleu cheese dressing is now my favorite. I especially like Sizzler's bleu cheese, but when buying from the store, Lighthouse brand rocks big time. Their Chunky Bleu Cheese does not taste store bought. Now, I'm normally not a huge bleu cheese fan (ie the burgers stuffed with it at Busterback Ranch). I like it mild and subtle. I just got done chowing down a nice big green salad for lunch with spinach, lettuce, red onion, mushrooms, red bell pepper, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, a sprinkling of bacon bits and cheddar cheese, and my chunky bleu of course. Heaven on a plate!

Anyway, it got me thinking about how I never gave bleu cheese dressing the time of day, assuming it was nasty and totally wrong for me. Sometimes I think that's how we are in life. Do we judge a book by its cover, assuming it's good or bad, right or wrong, without reading the review? Do we narrow our minds and only look at things a certain way because that's how we were raised? Do we study things out through the scriptures and good literature and pray for answers for the concerns and questions that we have? Are we informed? Do we have an open mind? We pray at church that we might have our minds and hearts open to the messages, but are we really willing to have an open heart and mind? I'm discovering that there's more out there than my little brain ever thought there was. Knowledge is power. It's enlightening. I've learned that there's more than one way to look at things. God's plan for us is beautiful and amazing and I'm so thankful for the knowledge that I do have of it. Our knowledge is what we'll take with us in the end so why not try to be less closed-minded about things and try to educate ourselves and open our minds to all the possibilities? I think some people think having an open mind is a bad thing. But as I grow older, I am discovering that it is a very important thing. Learn all you can. Think. Grow. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."