I am so grateful for the youth leaders I had in middle and high school and for the program they put together to help us grow spiritually. It was called the Scholarship Program, because once we completed it, we were able to go on a mission trip, sprinkled with fun, that was sponsored by our church. (I went on two trips, one to the Bahamas and one to New York City.) Our leaders provided us with a list of spiritual disciplines to be completed each week with a special binder to track our progress. We learned about daily Bible reading, prayer, Scripture memory, church attendance (with notetaking), and visitation – just basic disciplines to help us grow. Somedays I was literally just “checking the box,” but other days I heard the voice of God. The good habits and a love for Scripture I learned stuck to me for life.
These days I like to mix things up during my devotion time
to keep things fresh. Sometimes I do the read-the-Bible-in-a-year. Sometimes I
dig deep and study a book of the Bible – usually one of the Pauline letters. I
sprinkle in some inspirational books and focus on those topics for a while or
maybe do a Bible study (recognizing that this is the work of people and not
Scripture).
As I have grown older, memorizing Scripture has gone by the
wayside. I convinced myself that I am no longer able to memorize. The words
just do not stick! But recently I read the book, “Memorizing Scripture” by
Glenna Marshall. She has convinced me that the hard work of memorization is
truly worth it. It’s a thin, easy to read book that is chock full of depth and
wisdom. I encourage you to get a copy. She gives some wonderful tips for
memorizing, and I am finding that yes, I still can memorize! It has been easier
than I thought. (The “Verses” app that she recommends has been very helpful to
me.) I now have laminated copies of portions of Philippians in my shower and in
my car. Finally, I have found a purpose for the “wasted” time I spend sitting
at traffic lights! Now I can spend that time being “transformed by the renewing
of my mind.”
How I long for that sort of transformation! The kind that
leads to the filling of God’s Spirit, to righteousness, discernment, and a
greater love for God and people. One that leads to tremendous joy despite
circumstances.
I am also reading a book about transforming the mind from a
completely different angle entitled, “You are the Placebo” by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
It describes how one can use the mind to change one’s health and life. Being written
from a New Age worldview, I would not necessarily recommend it. I’m praying
that God would give me discernment as I try to see if there’s any truth in this
book that I might put into practice. The author claims his ideas are based in
science, but he describes people as “divine creators.” I found it interesting
that he calls emotions like gratitude, love, joy, inspiration, peace, etc. the “elevated
emotions” and the “limited emotions” listed are doubt, fear, anger, shame, etc.
He states that gratitude is the most important emotion. It’s almost like he
consulted the Bible on this! (He has some other ideas that sound suspiciously
Scriptural.) If I am memorizing and meditating on Scripture, those emotions will
develop in me without me putting my mind into a place of consciousness, which
could open my mind up to evil things I don’t want – which is of course what
this man recommends that I do.
One thing I HAVE come to believe is that the mind/ heart is
very powerful. And so are our words. There’s an old saying, “What’s down in the
well comes up in the bucket.” What is down in our hearts comes out in our words
and actions. In Philippians 4, Paul tells us what to be thinking about, and
they are all good, positive thoughts (I’m sure you are familiar with this
passage). And how many times has God taught us in Scripture that He does not
like a complaining, ungrateful heart? It is a fact that a more positive thought
life leads to better health. He tells us that a cheerful heart is like a
medicine.
I will leave you with one example that surprised me:
Not too long ago, I began to get sick. I pulled out all my
usual herbs and supplements for the battle. I usually play some funny videos
too, because I heard that laughter boosts the immune system, but this time I
did something different, purely by accident. I like to journal our fun
activities with family and friends, but I had gotten behind on that. So, since
I could not get out, I decided to catch up by looking at brochures and pictures
of the good times we had. I spent about 3 hours that day journaling, reminiscing,
and smiling at pictures of my family and friends. I felt grateful and joyful.
By the next morning, I was well. My husband, however, went on to be sick for
several more days. Of course, I cannot say definitively that going down memory
lane and thinking happy thoughts cured me, but it sure didn’t hurt!
So, what about you? Do you lean towards thinking positively
or negatively? For many people, positive thoughts and gratitude must be
cultivated. It was that way for me.
joyce hague
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