Bad Brain Connections
A friend posted an article about complaining on Facebook recently called, "How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity," by Dr. Travis Bradberry. I don't know this doctor or his work, but what he said made a lot of sense to me. He noted, "Your brain loves efficiency and doesn't like to work any harder than it has to. When you repeat a behavior, such as complaining, your neurons branch out to each other to ease the flow of information...Repeated complaining rewires your brain to make future complaining more likely...Complaining becomes your default behavior, which changes how people perceive you."
Wow, we all know what it feels like to be around people who can't find a positive thing to say about any situation and its a real downer. But to think I may be conditioning my brain to be a "Debbie Downer," (no offense to you Debbie's out there) that is a bit disconcerting. Dr. Bradberry goes on in the article to outline the other health concerns that complaining can lead to and steps to address negative thought patterns.
God already told us in a number of ways what He thinks about complaining. Let's look at what God told the Israelites whom he saved out of slavery in Egypt in Numbers 14: 26-35:
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness.33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”
When we complain against our leaders, about our lives, or even how we look, we ultimately are grumbling against God. God puts leaders in place (Romans 13:1), He has a plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11), and He created us in our mothers' wombs (Psalm 139:13-14) so the root of all complaining comes back to us telling God that His decisions, what He's given us, and how He made us are not good enough. That's a bold and disrespectful stance for us to take against Almighty God.
I'm working on stopping my complaining and focusing on contentment, joy, and the many blessings God has bestowed upon my life. Have I accomplished this change in seeking an attitude of gratitude in all things? No, but I've been practicing negativity a long time, so my brain neurons have built some permanent pathways or "bridges to the badlands." This godly positivity habit may not change overnight, but I'm ready to burn these murmuring bridges to the ground and not make anymore room for bad brain connections again.
Wow, we all know what it feels like to be around people who can't find a positive thing to say about any situation and its a real downer. But to think I may be conditioning my brain to be a "Debbie Downer," (no offense to you Debbie's out there) that is a bit disconcerting. Dr. Bradberry goes on in the article to outline the other health concerns that complaining can lead to and steps to address negative thought patterns.
God already told us in a number of ways what He thinks about complaining. Let's look at what God told the Israelites whom he saved out of slavery in Egypt in Numbers 14: 26-35:
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness.33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”
When we complain against our leaders, about our lives, or even how we look, we ultimately are grumbling against God. God puts leaders in place (Romans 13:1), He has a plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11), and He created us in our mothers' wombs (Psalm 139:13-14) so the root of all complaining comes back to us telling God that His decisions, what He's given us, and how He made us are not good enough. That's a bold and disrespectful stance for us to take against Almighty God.
I'm working on stopping my complaining and focusing on contentment, joy, and the many blessings God has bestowed upon my life. Have I accomplished this change in seeking an attitude of gratitude in all things? No, but I've been practicing negativity a long time, so my brain neurons have built some permanent pathways or "bridges to the badlands." This godly positivity habit may not change overnight, but I'm ready to burn these murmuring bridges to the ground and not make anymore room for bad brain connections again.
Psalm 66:1-4 (NIV)
Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
Make his praise glorious.
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing the praises of your name."
Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
Make his praise glorious.
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing the praises of your name."
Comments
Post a Comment