If You Don’t Use It – You’ll Lose It!

My precious mom said to her doctor “Doc, some mornings I just don’t want to get out of bed!” His reply? “The day you decide to do that, count on being bedridden very soon. In essence, he was saying “If you don’t use it – you’ll lose it!” These days – our minds are on overload, so much so, – the opposite is true: If we overuse it – we’ll lose it!

My sis-in-law was coming over to see me. I gave her the easy directions. “Turn into the community at the gate and just turn right at the first street and it’s the first home on the right.” I watched out for her. She turned right but went to the first house on the left. I overheard her talking to her husband on her cell phone: “I can’t do two things at the same time – drive and follow directions.” I get it. We need to be fine-tuned!.

I’ve been reading up on “powering up” our brains and I've found out some things that can boggle our brains – one of which is all the multi-tasking that we do. While on our phones, we’ll be driving, eating, telling our kids to stop arguing, remembering another item for the grocery list, etc. Bottom line – being focused not only saves our brain’s power (over-using it), but it also saves us from being distracted and having an accident. I read that a recent neuroscience research proved the human brain is unable to consciously pay full attention to two tasks at the same time (thus my sweet sis-in-law's dilemma).. Sure, we can do simple tasks like walking and talking at the same time – maybe even chewing gum along with it, but when it comes to true multi-tasking, our brain shouldn’t do it.
’t do it. Yikes! Think about all that multi-tasking we’re doing while driving – talking on our phones, eating, etc.

Helping us to not overuse our brain is “powering it down” when we get the sleep we need. A sleep-deprived brain works harder, but accomplishes less. It becomes more difficult to concentrate, speak clearly, and make decisions. I’m making sure I get as many zzzz’s as I can to keep my brain powered up!

And, “powering up” our brain is powering up our attitudes that cultivate good habits like, enjoying life, laughing often, developing an optimistic outlook and being sure to free our minds of stress and anxiety. And above all – STOP saying, even in a “just joking” way “I’m losing my mind!” Instead, we should daily “power up” our brains by keeping our minds on God’s Word – even memorizing scriptures that help guarantee sound and healthy minds! Let’s speak these kinds of affirmations from God’s Word:

~ I have the mind of Christ! (1 Corinthians 2:16)
~ My mind is renewed daily! (Romans 12:2)
~ His mind is in me! (Philippians 2:5)
~ My mind is in perfect peace because it stays on God. (Isaiah 26:3)
~ I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and MIND. (Matthew 22:37)
~ Daily, I think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Philippians 4:8

I’m in for the long haul so rather than my mind being used “mindlessly”, I’m “powering up” to be sure I live up to the best version of me that I can be! How about you?

“I refuse to give in to my fears. For God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a SOUND mind!”
2 Timothy 1:7

Ever Have a Day When the Last Straw Broke the Camel's Back?

Ever have one of those days when, in spite of all your good deeds, good thoughts, good intentions.....that -- out of nowhere -- you just blow it?

I may give the impression that I'm Pollyannaish (that word is from "Pollyanna," the heroine of the famous 1913 novel "Pollyanna", whose outlook on life was one of absolute optimism and whose problems were always straightened out in the end). And, being Pollyannaish is what I strive to be. Actually, that's not it -- I desire to be a FULLY devoted follower of Christ -- which means I strive to be like HIM!

But on Thursday.....I really blew it. I have had challenges and concerns regarding my home's construction. I've conceded to many things that should have been done, but weren't, and closed my eyes to other issues that I just gave to God. I typically say, "In the light of eternity.....does it really matter?" But, having been promised a specific, important thing and waiting for over a year to get it done, it was finally done on Thursday -- but completely incorrectly. It was "the final straw that broke the camel's back" to me. I totally shocked myself as I went into a tirade -- ranting and raving about this misdeed. I drove off, and immediately, I heard that still, small, but loud and clear, voice say, "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Aargh! I knew I had to get a grip and apologize..... and I did. While I was saying, "I apologize for exposing my last straw", the other person. who is also a Christian, quickly apologized back to me, and within just a short while had the situation, I had waited on for over a year....completely corrected and completed.

Why did I tell you this story? As long as we're in these earth suits, we have the ability to fail, make mistakes, miss the mark, and just "lose it". But the more we strive to be like Him who was without fault, the more of His characteristics we'll possess. How thankful I am, that He who I desire to be like the most, so quickly forgives me when I falter, and is WHO I want to immulate when I need to forgive. How sweet this life is.....when each time we fall, we can get back up again and be better than before. Donnie McClurkin wrote a song that said, "We fall down, but we get up. We fall down, but we get up. For a Saint, is just a Sinner who fell down....and got up!" I love this chorus -- listen and feel what I felt....when I fell down and got back up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3ewPHaPBfA