Our Brains

Psalm 139:14 declares, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Our physical bodies are incredible. The human body is the most complex and unique organism in the world, and that complexity and uniqueness speaks volumes about the mind of its Creator. Every aspect of the body, down to the tiniest microscopic cell, reveals that it is fearfully and wonderfully made. This week I've been studying one unique aspect of our bodies: our brain.

The human brain is an amazing organ, fearfully and wonderfully made. It has the ability to learn, reason, and control so many automatic functions of the body such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, and to maintain balance to walk, run, stand, and sit, all while concentrating on something else.

We like to compare the human brain to a computer, and often it is a useful analogy. A computer is made up of millions of circuits, just like our brains. But all of the connections within a computer are made before it is turned on for the first time. At best, computer circuits stay the same during the life of the computer; at worst, they become old and break down with use.

Unlike a computer’s circuits, the circuits in the brain are constantly undergoing change and renewal. Even though most of the nerve cells that make up the brain are present shortly after birth, the connections between those cells can change and become more complex throughout life. In fact, the act of using brain circuits actually strengthens them over time. Repeated firing of brain circuits causes the nerve cells to change the number of chemical receptors on their surface and to “fatten” the connections that link nerve cells together into complex circuitry webs.

*The more a brain circuit is used, the stronger it becomes.*

At the same time, brain circuits that do not get used become less effective over time. The phrase “use it or lose it,” applies particularly well to brain circuits. If repeatedly, day after day, the circuits that give rise to negative emotions are stimulated in a person's mind, that individual is more likely to be a negative, depressed person. These circuits tell the individual to be on guard for trouble, to avoid unpleasant experiences, to stop wasting energy on trying to make their lives better. For these negative thinkers, the repeated firing of negative emotional circuits strengthens them until their activation becomes routine. From then on, it is hard for them to escape having the experience of negative emotions. The circuits are so strong they fire almost continuously.... and the circuits designed to experience positive emotions, such as joy or attraction, anticipation or excitement, have been shut down for so long they rarely fire. Clearly, a state where negative emotional circuits are much stronger than positive emotional circuits can leave an individual feeling profoundly discouraged and unhappy with their life.

My prayer for us today is that we would carefully choose the way we use our brains. Instead of being discouraged and unhappy, let's be hopeful and optimistic. Instead of negative, defeating self-talk, let's speak life into our bodies, souls, and spirits. By choosing to use the brain circuits that produce positive thoughts, we are strengthening those positive circuits and in turn making it increasingly easier to have a positive outlook on our lives. Just as we develop habits of behavior that are not good for us, we can develop habits of thinking which are not good for us. Don't reinforce negative emotional circuits by making it a habit of thinking negatively.... choose today to start thinking *POSITIVE!*

Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, *THINK* about these things."