{"id":3294,"date":"2020-03-06T11:27:30","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T17:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedisciplemaker.org\/?p=3294"},"modified":"2023-06-28T14:28:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T14:28:05","slug":"why-lent-is-good-for-the-brain-and-your-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2020\/03\/why-lent-is-good-for-the-brain-and-your-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Lent is Good for Your Brain and Your Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Would you rather inflict pain on yourself than be alone with your own thoughts?\u00a0 That was the question some researchers posed a couple of years ago.\u00a0 In an unusual study, they put people in a room alone with no devices for 15 minutes.\u00a0 But first, they had them them try pressing a button that inflicted a painful electric shock.\u00a0 This would be the only thing in the room with them.\u00a0 The researchers were not greatly surprised when people expressed how difficult being alone was, but they were stunned that over one fourth of the women and two thirds of the men ended up giving themselves a shock.\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 What would you do?<\/p>\n

The reality is that our relationship with technology is making it harder and harder to be alone with our own thoughts.\u00a0<\/strong> Indeed, for many of us, our smartphones have become another limb that we just can\u2019t imagine doing without.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t have to be this way.\u00a0 We can have our devices and live a balanced life in which solitude and silence are like dear friends we run to for solace and support.<\/p>\n

What does this have to do with Lent?\u00a0 Lent is a blessed season not only to focus on the life and death of Jesus and all it means for us, but also to let go of some things that have interfered with our mental, emotional and spiritual health.\u00a0 There are three reasons a Lenten experience can be good for your brain and soothing to your soul:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The power of story<\/li>\n
  2. The power of experience<\/li>\n
  3. The power of repeated practice<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    (I will share more about the first one today, and the other two in my next blog).<\/p>\n

    The power of story:\u00a0 Our brains are wired to connect with stories in a way that information or even good theology cannot provide.<\/strong>\u00a0 This is why we can hear a great talk or sermon and even take copious notes, yet a week later, all we remember is the story the speaker told at the beginning.\u00a0 Stories animate the part of our brains that retains memories, and thus are a powerful way to strengthen our spiritual understanding.<\/p>\n

    The first time I decided to really press into the story of Jesus\u2019 final journey, I thought it would take me a month, but instead it took almost a year.\u00a0 I walked through every moment of the story, visualizing what really happened\u2014what the atmosphere was like, the sounds, the sights, the smells, the emotions of the characters etc.\u00a0\u00a0 That process truly transformed my life, and has continued to do so every year during Lent, as I walk with Jesus once again. I know this is true for many of you as well.<\/p>\n

    The profound reality is that Jesus\u2019 journey to the cross is contains every element of our own lives, particularly our struggles<\/strong>-confusion, anger, fear, despair, betrayal, abandonment\u2014the list goes on.\u00a0 As Scripture reminds us, Jesus is not a high priest who \u201ccannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are\u2026\u201d (Hebrews 4:15).<\/p>\n

    \u200bWhen we spend forty days focusing on the story of Jesus\u2019 final hours, taking the time to meditate, contemplate and connect our own story to his, deeper neural pathways are laid in our brains, and our souls absorb the truths of the gospel far more powerfully than through any other kind of learning process.\u00a0 This makes Lent well worth observing.<\/p>\n

    \n

    \"\"You’ve been reading and watching from Tricia Rhodes’ blog Soul at Rest<\/a>. Visit her site for more uplifting content or learn more about her books: The Wired Soul: Finding Spiritual Balance in a Hyperconnected Age<\/a> and The Soul At Rest: A 40-Day Journey into a Life of Prayer<\/a>. You can also connect with Tricia on Facebook<\/a> as she talks more about celebrating Lent.<\/p>\n

    \"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Would you rather inflict pain on yourself than be alone with your own thoughts?\u00a0 That was the question some researchers posed a couple of years ago.\u00a0 In an unusual study, they put people in a room alone with no devices … <\/p>\n

    Read moreWhy Lent is Good for Your Brain and Your Soul<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":""},"categories":[9,11],"tags":[318,535],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Lent is Good for Your Brain and Your Soul - The Disciplemaker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2020\/03\/why-lent-is-good-for-the-brain-and-your-soul\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Lent is Good for Your Brain and Your Soul - The Disciplemaker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would you rather inflict pain on yourself than be alone with your own thoughts?\u00a0 That was the question some researchers posed a couple of years ago.\u00a0 In an unusual study, they put people in a room alone with no devices ... 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