God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

I read a great story in a book entitled “How To Change Your If Only Regrets Into Your What If Possibilities” by Mark Batterson, it is basically a book about how to finish life well.

The story featured a neurosurgeon’s discovery about memory.  This neurosurgeon, Dr. Wilder Penfield, opened up 1,132 brains while the patients were awake, using anesthesia only for the parts of the head that have pain sensors.  (the brain tissue itself doesn’t contain pain sensors.)  He wanted to be able to talk to the patients and therefore the patients were not put to sleep.   He then delicately stimulated different areas of the brain that correspond to memory and asked the patients what they remembered.

His findings concluded that when the brain was stimulated, every single patient could recall memories that predated their first memory! They could recall every sight, sound, experience- every conscious thought and subconscious dream they had.  Amazing!

Now, this would be wonderful news if we all had perfect parents, teachers, coaches, priests, uncles, aunts, friends, bosses etc. but we don’t.  Everyone falls short of the best that they could be and therefore we can intentionally or unintentionally, diminish the value of another person.

The only way we can override these etched in stone memories and opinions of others and finish life well is to get soaked in the Word of God through reading the Bible.

As you read the Bible, you are taking in the mind of Christ.  One of the best ways to understand how someone thinks, is through the words they speak.  The Bible is the inspired Word of God.  Delving into the Word of God will give your brain a “hard reset” so to speak, to “factory settings,” the settings that God put in you.  You will learn that you aren’t what others have said about you, you are what God says about you!

Reading the Bible is the only way to PERMANENTLY override your memories. As you “re-member” into the place you came from, you will realize just how valuable you are!

It’s not enough to go to church, we need to read the Bible to understand that by being His sons and daughters we are privy to His power, help, and His provision.

There are many good starting points in the Bible but the Epistles, which are part of the New Testament, tell you who we are.  Every time a verse says “In Him, or Through Him, or by His blood- it is telling us that as a follower of the Lord, we can have these things. As we read, we will realize that God didn’t create us and then leave us on our own. He defeated death so that He could be with us through the Holy Spirit and help us today. It is up to us to receive His message in the Bible, and when we do, the pressure of life will fall off our shoulders and we can rest knowing we have a heavenly Father to help us.

God knew that we’d encounter people who had the power to negatively impact us; a doctor that made an error, a teacher who shot down our self confidence, a parent who was emotionally or physically absent or a parent who sexually or physically abused us but this is not the end, we can finish life well with God.

God is perfect and He would like nothing more than to fix the broken pieces of our lives.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen 50:20)

Food For Thought,

Lisa

Mark Batterson’s book can be found here.

GOD’S PROMISE:

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31b)

MUSIC FOR YOUR SOUL:

“Who I Am” by Blanca.