brain

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Your Brain Never Stops Working

Have you noticed how you brain works even when you’re not thinking? 

Your Brain Never Stops Working

It’s sort of like when you turn your car off but the radio continues to work until you pull the keys out of the ignition. You can turn your car off and just sit there with the music playing away … no down time, no stop and start. It just keeps on playing. 

What’s interesting about that is, if you get in your car and put the keys in the ignition, the radio will not play until you turn the key to the “on” position.

Your car windows work like that too. If you turn your car off and quickly hit the window button, the windows will close or open as if the car was still on. 

It’s like you’ve unplugged it but there’s still some electricity flowing through the wires … or something like that.

The other morning I was going to play hockey at 7 a.m. which means I leave the house at about 6:30 a.m. The arena is close by and it IS 6:30 in the morning, so there’s no sense getting there too early.

The day before I had checked my email with the when and where details. I knew the place well; I had been to that arena already once that week.  

Hauling my gear to the car and drove straight there, avoiding all the traffic lights. I pulled into the parking lot, lifted my hockey bag out of the trunk and started to walk towards the front entrance. 

I had only taken 10 steps when I stopped. This was at the wrong arena. Keep in mind it was 6:30 in the morning.

I had not forgotten what arena I was playing at. There was no sudden reminder on my cell phone.

No, I matter of factly stopped in the middle of the parking lot and turned around. I put my hockey equipment back in the car, started the engine and drove to the rink I was supposed to be at.

I knew all along where I was playing but, as I was thinking of other things, my brain was still working and took me to the ice pad I usually play at on Saturdays … just like when you unplug a battery charger and the “on” light stays lit from some residual power still running through the charger. 

My brain was still working. I was thinking about the song on the radio, about where I needed to be after hockey, about how I got all green lights on the way to the arena. 

So my brain just took me to hockey – well, where I play hockey through the week and almost every Saturday.

I was not surprised when I started thinking again that I was at the wrong place. I just chuckled and thought to myself, “I hope I really did get all green lights on the way to the rink!”

Here’s the thing: What you have learned, what is ingrained in your memory, will come back to you when you need it. If you’ve engrained some sin in your life, when you are not thinking, you can bet your brain is still working and will lead you right back into it. But if you learn deeply the things of God, and stow them away in your brain – God’s Word, His promises, or what He thinks of you – then when you’re not thinking, or not thinking well, your brain will lead you to God’s truth concerning what you need at that time. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question; What do you most need to store away in your brain right now? – Scripture verses or God’s promises to you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My Brain Has A Mind of its Own

My last blog got me thinking more about how my brain works. I’m not professing to know much about the brain (like a neurosurgeon, psychiatrist or some other scientist who has studied the brain), but I do have one, and over time I’ve kind of noticed how mine works.

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What got me thinking about this was composing my last blog about how distracted I was writing my sermon (check out my blog, “So . . . I’m easily Distracted”).

I started thinking about how hard it was for me to focus on my work, or what I wanted or needed to be concentrating on.

It dawned on me that my brain wants to take the easiest path possible.

So whatever stimulates my brain, that’s where my brain wants to go. If I see something, my brain goes there. If I hear something, my brain is attracted to that. It works the same with smell and touch but not with as much tensity (for me, anyway).

I can be in the middle of a conversation with someone and then see something out of the corner of my eye. My attention is drawn to that thing, and I’ve lost my focus on what I was talking about.

I can be thinking or doing something, but if I hear music, immediately the lyrics to the song flood my mind and I start singing. For me, someone can just say a word and that will trigger a song in my head!

On good days, when I’m well-rested and determined, I can discipline my brain to stay on task for a while. But the longer I have to intently concentrate, the harder it is.

Over the years, I’ve learned to do a few things to help. I study in the mornings – the earlier the better for me. I focus better at that time because I’m less stimulated by other things, my mind is more alert, and there are less distractions.

Another thing I do is write while I think. For instance, when I pray I often write (type) what I am praying because then my eyes are drawn to the same thing that I’m thinking about and I stay focussed.

I’ve even used the “pomodoros” to set short, 25 minute focussed bursts to work, and then take a short break. I know most of you are looking up the word “pomodoro” to see if a tomato sauce has some time management qualities to it. Just google “pomodoro technique”; it’s named after a kitchen timer.

The bottom line for me is that I have a poorly disciplined brain. If my brain was a child I would discipline it, like have it sit in the corner for a time out. But my brain is over 50 years old; it’s been freewheeling for a long time!

I guess I’ve just gotten used to how it works and made some adjustments to coerce it to do what I want it to do. But still, it’s an unruly little fella.

Here’s the thing: Following Christ is not natural for us. What’s natural is to follow what feels good to us. Unfortunately, that will often cause us to go in the opposite direction that Christ would have us go. If we are going to follow Christ, we need to employ methods and discipline to coerce our nature to go in the direction Christ is leading.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you do to stay focussed? Leave your comment below.