"The Gift in You"

"we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us."
2 Corinthians 4:7

excerpts from the book"The Gift in You"  by Dr Caroline Leaf:

"In  order to sustain a consistent outlook and pattern, your thoughts, your words, your spirit, and your actions must line up. That means when you say something that your brain doesn't 'believe' - if your statement isn't part of you on a cellular level - it is unsustainable."

"You were not built to struggle. Your brain is wired to function according to a specific sequence. When you discover that sequence, that structure, you unlock great potential. ... You can learn more quickly, think more clearly, process faster, accomplish more, and become a better leader as you see other people for how they are uniquely wired."

"It is incredibly exciting to realize that what we choose to think about and how we choose to think can switch our genes on and off, changing the structure and function of our brain. The way in which we think will impact the health of our brains and our bodies... Even more exciting is that we each have a unique and distinct gift that impacts how we think.... We can alter brain anatomy in a positive love direction or a negative fear direction by how and what we choose to think."

"If we start building fear pathways by entertaining toxic thinking, such as bitterness, anxiety, anger, unforgiveness, and so on, we can wire negative and rigid behaviors into the brain, which become 'gift blockers'. A 'gift blocker' has a damaging physical and chemical effect on the brain, resulting in inflammation, which interrupts the cycle of thought in some way and hinders the ability to think clearly."

"Deep inside us is the awareness of self, and the desire to be understood. Our cry as we go through life is 'does anyone out there understand me?' When we operate out of fear of rejection, fear of pain, and fear of abuse, we cannot believe anyone wants to understand us, our fears work to thwart our desire for love and acceptance God hardwired in each of us."

"Love and fear are the root emotions and all other emotions grow from these... Love and fear cannot co-exist. When we operate in fear, we are at the mercy of the environment. Our gift will be blocked and our true self will vanish. Science has shown us that there is a "massive" unlearning of toxic thoughts when we operate in love. .. Love literally wipes out fear."

"Although you are not handed a roadmap for your life, there are road markers to ensure you are walking on your gifting - love and wisdom.... When you operate in your gifting, the brain is operating the way it was wired. ... The thought circuits in the brain are altered by experience, so the more you think in the way you were designed to think, operating in your gift, the more you develop your brain."

and finally

"To grow as a human being you need to move away from a 'disability focus' - focusing on your weaknesses and forgetting about your strengths. .. An over emphasis on trying to overcome weaknesses creates much of the unhappiness in our world."

Of course, there is much more about how the brain neurons and emotions are interdependent. Medical science has come a long way to reinforce what Scripture has already told us - 'we are fearfully and wonderfully made" and "perfect love casts out fear".

Pretty good stuff to ponder!!!