Mindlock

They were college roommates with a friendship that brought laughter and fun to almost everyone who entered their orbit. Now, 44 years later, on opposite sides of the political spectrum, they bash each other on social media with barely concealed contempt. Whoever said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” was internally dishonest. Negative words do more than upset, they create resentment, rifts, and land littered with destroyed relationships.

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Meditation
Matthew 12:13,14--Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
 
How did bright, educated, religious leaders transform Jesus’ curing a paralyzed man’s hand into a murder plot?  Oh wait, it happened on the Sabbath! A religious tradition was, for them, more important than healing. Celebrating a miracle was instead blocked by centuries of tradition. Welcome to the world of mindlock, my newest contribution to neologism.
Mindlock (similar to gridlock) (noun) = a contagious, long-term, severe mental disease created when neural passageways are obstructed by dogma or trauma and characterized by irrationality, defensiveness, anger, intolerance, sarcasm, and psychological manipulation. It is highly resistant to almost every treatment except . . .  
People with mindlock cannot see their condition (blindspot) and resent confrontation. When Jesus called the Pharisees out for their blatant hypocrisy (they rescued their animals if in danger on a sabbath), they got angrier with Him. Never would they accept Jesus’ teaching.

People with mindlock are more concerned with being right than with understanding what others are saying. By overprotecting their opinions, they worsen their condition. They either ignore evidence that refutes their thinking or dispute it as fabricated. They then typically adopt two courses of action. First, they ridicule, demean, or undermine their opponent’s position(s) and, if that is unsuccessful, smear the reputation or character of their opponent with name-calling, belittling, and trap-setting. In Jesus’ case, the Pharisees accused Him of working with Satan and, on multiple occasions, set snares they hoped would destroy Him.
           
People with mindlock are drawn to others similarly infected. This creates a welcome sense of security, heightens their collective belief, and builds groupthink that, when threatened, may resort to law-breaking and violence, which are ideologically defended. Jewish religious leaders happily convinced the Romans to crucify Jesus.
           
People with mindlock are so critical of those they detest they will immediately disparage what the other does, without waiting to see what consequences result. Because they justify questioning motives, they are unconcerned with results, even when their reasoning is refuted. The chief priests could not believe the Messiah rose from the dead, so they bribed the soldiers guarding His tomb, and invented a story that His disciples stole His body (Matthew 28:11-15).

Mentally engaging, questioning, challenging, or responding to people with mindlock is a flawed methodology that results in frustration for the one attempting to reason. There can be no reasoning. Also, two persons with competing ideologies may each have mindlock. This is an exceptionally dangerous condition because it hardens one’s heart.

God sees and loves those with mindlock. This should lead us to pray that we might understand and apply the one treatment known to work and credited to Jesus. "This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
 
 
©2025 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  To receive these devotionals, go to www.firstcause.org and click the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.     
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)