WTML: Switch On Your Brain

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Amidst my friends who wanted to be parents, professional athletes, veterinarians, and astronauts, I wanted to be a brain surgeon. That’s right. Being a ‘doctor’ was not what I wanted; I was convinced that being a neurosurgeon was just the right job for me!

I remember checking out a book from the library about the brain when I was six years old. It was the biggest book I had ever read and, honestly, I didn’t understand a lot of it (I was only six!). But I still vividly remember the story of Phineas Gage who had an iron rod go into his skull, destroy his frontal lobe, and still live to tell the tale! His personality was changed because of the accident and, to a lesser degree, so was I.

When I found out just what the brain was and how powerful it is in our lives, I was certain I wanted to learn more about it and help people use theirs well. Thankfully, I did not become a neurosurgeon, but my fascination with the brain hasn’t left me.

Enter Dr. Caroline Leaf, a brilliant woman who has more research on the brain than I could consume if I wanted to! The first time I heard her speak during a church service on a Sunday morning I was hooked. You mean that you can combine how the brain works with the Bible? Yes, please!

She has written a number of books on the subject, but the one I want to direct your attention to is Switch on Your Brain. It’s amazing how she weaves scripture, incredible stories, data from research, and practical steps together to guide you through this process of switching your brain back on.

The most incredible thing about this book to me is that it gives us hope when there formerly was none.

“This is just the way I am” is one of the saddest sentences any human being can utter and is one that I said for years. In fact, I still catch myself saying versions of this today, though I try to stop myself and replace that thought with Truth. This book debunks the myth of “this is just the way I am” and replaces it with “…with God all things are possible…” (Matthew 19:26 ESV).

I am in the middle of a 21-day brain detox that she outlines in the book. I’m working to dismantle a lie I’ve believed by replacing it with truth. I am currently doing brain surgery on myself, healing neural pathways I’ve let die.

I’m glad I’m not a neurosurgeon but I’m even more thankful that God has given me the tools and the desire to renew my mind.

Check out Switch on Your Brain and start the 21-day brain detox to replace lies with truth today.

Have you read Switch on Your Brain? What was your biggest takeaway?

How do you renew your mind? Do you do this daily?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Don’t forget! Pick up your copy of His Story: A Devotional on the Character of God today!

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