40-Day Detox

Last weekend, on the first day of October, my intentions were good. I was planning on "detoxing" my life in an effort to regain focus. I even made a plan, but then I fell short. Isn't that always the story? The problem was I was struggling with the emotions I was feeling and ignoring them was only creating a bigger problem. Honestly, I am still struggling, but that is ok. I am going to attempt to process the depth of my emotions and experiences while also "detoxing" my life. I don't know what will happen, but I am willing to let go and trust God to make something of my mess. 

Over the last week I have made a plan, which I intend to implement over the next 40 days. I have never done anything like this before and I have no idea if it will have any impact on my life, but I am going to try it anyways. My "detox" plan has 4 aspects: health, body, mind, and spirit. Initially each aspect was going to be introduced for 10 days during the 40 days, but I decided that the greatest potential for benefit was if I implemented each aspect every day for 40 days. The first aspect is health and is basically just a commitment to eat healthier. I thought about the Daniel Plan, but I have a few deficiencies and I was not confident that I could meet my nutritional needs by only consuming the items on the list. I also wasn't comfortable suggesting a plan that I had never tried myself, especially considering that individuals have different health needs. The second aspect is body and the goal is movement. My goal is to get my body moving for at least 30 minutes every day; minus a rest day. Movement could be going on a walk or a run or it could be a full workout. I left it open because I have noticed that I have a hard time committing myself to one activity. The third aspect is mind and the goal is to limit our time with worldly influences. This might be limiting internet usage or decreasing time spent watching TV or some form of digital entertainment like Netflix or YouTube. The last aspect is spirit and the thought is that if we are limiting time with worldly influences that we are increasing time spent with the Spirit. This might be spending time reading the Bible, praying, meditating, or participating in a devotional. 

My "detox" plan is a series of goals, which I hope will have a positive aspect on my life. As I said before, I don't know how this will work because I have never done it before, but I am excited to try this for the next 40 days and see what happens. I will try to post weekly updates on my progress and include any tips that I learn along the way. I invite you to join me in this journey and to share your progress with me. Remember the goal is progress.

November Challenge: Day 23

There are just 7 more days of this intentional gratitude challenge for the month of November and I have found this experience very rewarding. I hope that you have too. Today I am grateful for the power of the human brain. Last night I was thinking about the vastness of our brains. I kept waking up from strange dreams that combined anything and everything to create the dream I was experiencing. There is something wonderful about the fact that somewhere in our brains holds all of the images we have ever seen, all of the emotions we have felt, our thoughts, the things we have heard, and really just about everything we have ever experienced. We don't always consciously remember all of it, but it is still stored in our brains somewhere. There is something marvelous about this endless capacity to hold information. 

But our brains do so much more than that! Our brains then take all of this stored information and transform that information into unique dreams that we experience every night. The end result isn't always good, but the process is remarkable. Our brains have this endless ability to create new things. This ability to store and to transform is important to remember, especially when it comes to the content we view or the words we listen to. If our brains are constantly storing inappropriate images, thought, or actions then that's what is going to be reproduced. If instead our brains are being filled with what is pure and noble then that is what are brains will use to recreate with. We all have this ability, but how we choose to use it is entirely up to us when we choose each day what to fill our lives with. 

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our brains are just one aspect of that. I am very thankful for the brain God has given me and for the remarkable ability it has naturally. Think about everything your brain can do, without you having to think about it, and you will find yourself amazed at God's craftsmanship. What are you thankful for today?