Testament Tuesday – Our Crazy Brain

Did you know that our brains are specifically wired to protect us? They’re supposed to protect us from harm and danger and promote overall survival. But nowadays we don’t need that survival instinct most days since there aren’t random killer animals chasing us for their dinner. Thankfully we don’t usually need our brains to help get us out of being hunted.

So here we are day by day living in a relatively safe world, void of threatening animals hunting us and our brains no longer have to protect us from that (thank God!). So, since our brains no longer have to live in survival mode they then tend to keep us in comfort mode. Yes, our brains are actually working on the daily to keep us comfortable and avoid anything that would be hard or undesirable.

Now that we know that our brains are constantly trying to ensure that we are in a state of comfort, doesn’t it make more sense why we avoid things like cleaning or working out? Because those things are hard and undesirable!!

So when we have a long list of to-do’s that all seem unbearable to do our brains literally talk us out of doing them – it recognizes these things as a threat to our comfort and it starts shutting down any sort of plan of action you might have taken. Our brains are wired to avoid, delay, procrastinate, and distract us from anything that isn’t desirable or may cause “harm”.

And of course this wiring goes much deeper than just daily household chores or working out. This is about seeking comfort in relationships, jobs, our routines, and hopes for the future. Every single area of our lives are driven by our brain’s desire for comfort over discomfort.

So here’s the question, what is this comfort ultimately costing us? What is the cost of sacrificing things just to stay comfortable?

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 says,

“The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way.”

God didn’t put us on this beautiful earth to live small. When God designed us, he envisioned a full, overflowing, and abundant life. He equipped us with everything we would ever need to step into that life too. But when we let our brains tell us to stay in comfort, then we live life small, we miss out on everything He has available for us.

That’s what living in comfort does. When we are comfortable, we easily miss all that God has available for us.

It’s time we go towards things that are uncomfortable. It’s time to see what we are really made of and what we are truly capable of doing no matter what the risks are. I mean I know no one wants to fail, get hurt, or fall short.

So naturally when we venture out and go for something new and uncomfortable, our brains are screaming that it’s dangerous and our comfort tends to shut down all further action. Our brains tell us NO to going for the new job, NO to moving to a new town, NO to losing weight, etc. because it may be disappointing in the end.

All the while, God is screaming YES! He has already gone before us and made a way for us to achieve all of the things. He’s equipped us for battle, aligned our provision, and given us the green light.

Our brains are often times over-reactive and irrational. Because there is no longer the threat of a vicious animal attack, it turns simple tasks into massive ones that threaten us, and plays the game of avoidance in order to keep us comfortable.

Our brains may be working against us, but we have God’s spirit within us. One that gives us power, love, and self-discipline.