dailydatewithgod

There is a constant narrative running through our minds.  So much of it, we are not aware of because it is typically the same narrative.  We have become so used to it we do not notice it is even happening.  We would most likely go mad if we were to notice all the thoughts running through our heads. It would literally exhaust our brains.  Therefore our minds must have the capacity to filter and draw our attention only when necessary.  The difficulty with this is when we have narratives that do not serve our best interest.  The ones we have had running since before we recognized our capacity to take in information.  It is the default narrative.  The only way to catch it is to pause and notice it. One way is to notice the things we say without thinking.  The words or phrases that seem to topple out of our mouths.  They give us an indication of what kind of narrative we have about the situation we are facing at the moment. On my daily dates with God, I was exposed to the practice of just noticing the thoughts that ran through my mind by watching them and not owning them. It may sound strange but it creates a distance from them.  The distance then allows us to determine which parts of the narrative are truly ours versus what we took on when our brain was on record as a little kid.  Given the power we hand over to the voice in our head, the narrative must be one that supports who we are at our core.  It can be overwhelming to listen to the narrative when we first start, but it is worth the discomfort.  Only by noticing what we are allowing to narrate our lives can we know what we are working with and the distinction between the unknown narrative running through our minds and the narrative of our hearts.  God stands ready to hold witness without judgment and listen with a warm embrace.