Look ahead through a lens of HOPE. We are free to choose a good idea, a better thought, or the BEST way to go. If the lens on our view of life is dirty with dust from the past, the picture we capture of the world and of ourselves develops into a blurred, unpleasing snapshot. We are all responsible to clean up the lens we choose so that we get clear with who we are being as a kid of the King, and what we are thinking and perceiving. When we take time to examine our lens, we observe how our perceptions could BE BETTER. Pointing the camera into the contents of our hearts and minds, we get to see and CHANGE what we do not like. Is what we currently view clouded by a past event? The GOOD news is that we have been given the power to CHOOSE our thoughts. Like a flip of a switch we can CHANGE darkness into LIGHT. We can consciously re-route our patterns of thinking and actually cause a flush of serotonin in our brains. Is what we choose the BEST Better Option? What option would result in the BEST, most positive behavior which will cause all concerned to experience a higher level of pleasure?

We are WISE to THINK that LIFE will continue to throw us curve balls. The truth is not always pretty. The REALITY we ALL live will be just as Jesus described it. LIFE will be full of challenges, pain, trials, wrongful persecutions, HOWEVER, as we experience moments of anxiety, fear, sadness, and disappointments – we get to choose how we respond. People are watching how we handle the hard times and the good times. When we express gratitude regardless of the circumstance, breakthroughs of wisdom, light, along with joyful insights, flood us with those big AHA’s, and thrilling opportunities to adjust our thinking. Maybe my habit of drinking, rage, or worry is not my best option? Embracing truth sets us free to first seek God and wait for the BEST option to pop into our minds. We get to choose to obey God —-and praise Him in the valley’s and on the mountaintops! A woman named Hannah acknowledged her reasons for being sad and crying. Her lamenting was criticized by a respected person, but Hannah chose to pray. “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies;  I rejoice because my Lord rescued me. No one is holy like the Lord!” 1 Samuel 2:1 The choice is ours.

OPTIONS by GOD: “Rejoice always! Pray constantly, give THANKS in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. —-NOW may the GOD of PEACE Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept SOUND and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is FAITHFUL, who also will DO IT.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 and 23-24. God has knowledge of us, He knows all our secrets and loves us anyway. No matter where we are God sees and knows our thoughts. God knows where we have been and where we are going. Our ways and motives are clearly known by Him. Every word and thought is recorded by our Father. From before we were conceived, God has had His hand on us. Handicapped bodies are examples of how God works through broken vessels. Trials increase our dependence on God. “I will praise God for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” As we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, all the contents, includes our brain, mind, heart, kidneys, and soul. A complete surrender includes our minds. We are aware that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we glorify God in our body by treating it with respect for He who dwells within is greater than any thought, or outside influence. Taking in TRUTH displaces lies. Read Psalm 139.

Dr. Judd Brewer,  a Psychiatrist admits his struggle with anxiety. FACT: Medical professionals burn out and many commit suicide. WHY? Dr Brewer responds “There is zero training in medical school about how the mind works. Doctors study the brain as an organ, which is not the unseen MIND. They are trained to just issue drugs.”   He explains in his book that if a person is scowling, or squinting they are either worried, confused or angry. Being aware of our physical expressions allows us to recognize our natural brain map. Our pattern of thinking will either cause us to behave the same as we always have, or we can SHIFT our thoughts and cause a NEW pathway of thinking. Our body is connected to our MIND.  Being aware of our posture, our mood, and our facial expressions helps us to intentionally and deliberately improve the best pleasurable experiences. WHY would anyone CHOOSE to feel shame, guilt, depression, or anxiety? TRUTH: We cannot change what we do not understand.  Taking the time to understand our mind, will engage us into MIND management. Self-regulation is taking responsibility for how we feel and what character we exhibit to the watching world. The key to reducing irritations, anger, sadness, anxiety, burn out, and depression is…..AWARENESS.  Choosing to be aware is better than living in denial.

Dr Brewer suggests “open your eyes wide… to awaken curiosity.” Another simple technique is to ask “Hmmm, wonder where this anxiety or sadness is coming from? Does it serve me? — A bad habit is to ruminate on what is wrong with me, or why can’t I get it right? The BBO or Better Best Option is to ASK a different question? How can I use the signal of frowning, irritation, sadness or anxiety to serve me? What is it directing me to look at, face and deal with? If we simply choose to medicate, or distract ourselves by reaching for our cell phone, kindle, gaming, shopping, eating in order to tune out,  we will get STUCK in the MOOD without a SOLUTION. Being AWARE of how our MIND works, causes us to PAUSE, STOP, THINK, FEEL, and CHOOSE the BEST option. Consider multiple option and take use the multiple perspective advantage. If we choose to issue kindness instead of huffiness, to ourselves and others, it instantly becomes a WIN WIN. As humans we often seek the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, that choice is to NOT face our toxic thought or trigger, and just NUMB out. We get into the HABIT of do do do doing …in order to numb out how we feel. Ask self “Does this numbing activity increase or decrease my pleasure or pain? ” Solution — we MUST understand how our mind works in order to work with it and become AWARE. To be sure, when the fruit on our tree is patience, kindness and self-control, we are definetly pleasing God.

Ask yourself, “How rewarding is worry, procrastination,  anger, depression?”  If you know you are in a funk, that your brow is wrinkled, that your posture is slumped, a proven technique to SHIFT our MIND is to say out loud “54321 I choose to walk in victory” or “I choose to be excited about what this trigger is pointing me to look at”. Dr brewer below suggests that instead of squinting and having tunnel vision, and thinking the worst — He says just OPEN your eyes wide, and engage curiosity. Now ASK “Does this harsh perception of others or judgment of myself feel good? Does it serve me? When we PAUSE to recognize any self bashing, we learn quickly that such condemnation feels icky. TRY switching your brain into another VIEW with a clean LENS. Choose to be loving and kind to yourself and others and immediately FEEL better. “Does my Grumpy mood while driving along all irritated–feel good?  — A BBO is a no brainer when we are AWARE of our thinking and feeling.  IF we consciously choose to issue kindness to those who irritate us our pleasure increases, stress decreases and our mood changes. IF you are CURIOUS about thinking, feeling, and choosing, Enjoy this BRILLIANT INTERVIEW by two doctors who study mind to help health professionals. Dr Brewer is interviewed Dr Caroline Leaf. 

“Only in the returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.” Isaiah 20:15 – Practice observing yourself as a Vessel of the Holy Spirit, which you are. You are a vessel with a history which is valued by a memory. Your story has shaped you, but it does NOT need to control you. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 — Our trials are what shape our character as God turns our overcoming into a testimony that glorifies His work in us. My victory summary of what I have achieved in 21 days by using Dr Christine Leafs “Neurocycle” APP is a testimony of how being aware of my thoughts brought forth the FRUIT of the SPIRIT – self-discipline. Mending my broken past with the golden threads of wisdom and awareness has renewed my hope. I now clearly recognize that my past anxiety and sadness came from a story of trauma and I honor its origin. Anxiety and fear no longer rule Barbara, as Barbara no longer considers herself broken or damaged goods. Detaching the information from the emotion in any given circumstance, caused my faith to grow.

The indwelt Holy Spirit who continues to work in us. As we trust Him, and listen…. HE will illuminate our MIND with any given BEST option, or pathway to take. When we agree with what God says about us, we learn that there is nothing wrong with being broken, and that anxiety and sadness are a part of everyone’s reality. When guilt, shame, fear, anxiety or sad moments return, and they will, we have the TOOLS to properly examine ourselves and return to a mind space of grace. Our emotions were given to us by God as helpful SIGNALS to correct our stinking thinking. Our old self, our old patterns of worry, or thinking have left scars which have shaped who we exhibit in the trials. Our good Father allows trials that we might grow to trust Him even more. As Barbara chooses to live transparently on purpose, I allow His light to shine through the cracks in my vessel, which brings Him glory as others see how God has consistently used broken people in the past. Peter, Paul, James, Matthew, Moses, Ruth, Joseph, and Esther were all broken vessels that shined God’s light and ways through many trials. Self-regulation of our thoughts is actually obedience to God’s command to “capture every thought”. This requires the FRUIT of the SPIRIT to blossom as self-discipline – For this I am entirely grateful to Jesus for all He has done in me and through my Neurocycling for the first 21 days. Brain Sweep