Lately, I have been studying and reading about the brain. Dr. Caroline Leaf has amazing materials regarding brain science and how it correlates to scripture. Right now, I am reading her book The Perfect You, which I highly recommend. Dr. Leaf speaks a lot about how we always have the power to think, choose and feel. Our brains are very amenable to change. By thinking about what we are thinking about, we have the power to choose healthy thoughts over toxic ones, which over time can physically change the structure of our brains! How cool is that! For me that sheds new light on Paul’s words written in 2 Cor. 10:5, “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Through my own battles with anxiety stemming from childhood trauma, I am learning the importance of self-regulating my thoughts. I am learning that just because fear knocks at the door, it doesn’t mean I have to allow it entrance. I am learning that just because I have a thought it doesn’t mean I have to entertain it. And I am learning that I have much more control over how I think and feel than I ever thought I did.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t still have days where I struggle with fear and anxiety. I do. However, I have learned that I don’t have to allow an anxious moment to ruin my day, or an anxious day to ruin my week. When fear comes in and attempts to take over, I have the power to take control of my mind and heart and not allow myself to be derailed. I can hand whatever fear is presenting itself over to the Lord and choose not to allow fear to become my focus. This requires lots and lots of practice, but over time I have been able to enjoy far more good days than bad days. I have been able to be present and engaged. And I have even learned to be grateful for this process, as it has taught me so much about myself, my savior and life.
I have come along way in my process of healing by discovering the art of recapturing the moment. Recapturing the moment requires that we are self-aware when we step into a toxic frame of mind. Fear, worry, anger, frustration, resentment, bitterness, and envy are just a few of the toxic mindsets that seek to derail us. If we can identify what we are feeling and pinpoint the lie that we are believing, we have already begun the process of taking back that moment from the grip of the enemy. As we identify our frustrations and fears, we can take stock of our emotions and thoughts and make a decision regarding the lens through which we will view our circumstances, either the lens of fear or love. We can choose in that moment whether we will focus on our shortcomings or our strengths, our failures or our progress, our moment of defeat or all the testimonies of God’s grace that precede that singular moment. By making a conscious choice, we tell our brains how we will view the situation at hand. We tell our brains what to do with fear and toxic thinking and we rewire our brains for healthy, constructive and positive thinking in the future.
No matter the challenges we face, we always have the ability to recapture the moment. We can’t change the past and we don’t know what the future holds, but when life goes off the rails and our emotions threaten to overwhelm us, we always have the option to recapture the moment, give our fears to the Lord and choose to operate in faith and love.
Every moment is a precious gift given by God. Make sure you live in them.
