dailydatewithgod

Have you wondered why it is that your mind is always ready with the worst-case scenario?  Does it seem odd that given all the possibilities that exist within a given moment that our heads seem determined to pick the one that will turn out badly?  Given our brain’s propensity for survival, which is a good thing, it makes sense.  If we can prepare for or prevent danger or potential loss of life we get to stay alive.  The distinction is in today’s world the likelihood of being killed by anyone of the options available to us as we move through the day is very minimal.  Another good thing.  When we stop to notice where our thoughts go it can be kind of comical.  Out of all the possibilities, our mind conjures up the worst-case scenario.  For anyone who has lived long enough, it is very apparent that the worst-case rarely if ever happens.  In a 12-step  room, a long time sober man talked about how he figured out that his mind was very creative but seemed to like to create scary movies.  When I heard his statement, I laughed and commented that the problem is I watch them as though they are documentaries. Yikes! So are we just victims of our thinking?  Hardly.  When we take the position of an observer, we let go of the need to believe everything we think and buy into the ideas that it is personal.  We can begin to get out from underneath the doom and gloom predicted ending when we pause and use our breath to awaken our hearts.  On my daily dates with God, it is clear to me that the more I remember to connect with my breath and engage my heart, the more I can observe the parade of thoughts going through my head without buying into them.  With a pause, we can question the reality of such a fear-based occurrence.  We can even pause to say thank you to our brain for taking care of us but let it know we will hold out for a couple of other possibilities before deciding the next course of action.  We have the agency to choose whether or not to go for the ride if we remember to involve our whole selves in the process.  Engaging our hearts tempers the mind and opens us up to the capacity to hold out for some other options.