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Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, ESV)
A-Game mindfulness is a game that I play with my thoughts.
We are to “rejoice” in the Lord always. I have been asking myself for years when I think of a thought that lowers my joy, “Is this thought of the Lord?” Mindfulness is huge in controlling thoughts, and controlling thoughts is huge in experiencing joy throughout the day.
Yes, huge!
One of my favorite books (I’ve mentioned the book before in Interruptions) is Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer. In this book, he discusses how our brains have a Default Mode Network (DMN). It is called the “default mode network” because it is where our minds go whenever they are not engaged in a specific task.
Years back, I began checking where my mind went when I wasn’t engaged in a task that required concentration and I found myself too easily thinking negative thoughts.
My DMN wasn’t rejoicing in the Lord always.
When my mind wandered, I didn’t think Psalmist thoughts about the greatness and goodness of God. Instead, I thought. . .
I will never be able to achieve my goals. I was Bemoaning who I was and my self-worth.
That pastor has a bigger church than me. I was Comparing myself to others.
That was a miserable sermon last week. Will I ever get one right? I was Demeaning myself, my efforts, and my abilities.
This is the A-Game. . .
A means adoration: being grateful in all things.
Instead of the B, C, or D games:
B is bemoaning who I am, feeling worthless, discouraged, and depressed.
C is comparing myself with others or getting frustrated when I sense someone has greater skill or anointing.
D is demeaning my actions and losing confidence in my abilities.
After realizing that much of my daydreaming was Bemoaning, Comparing, and Demeaning thoughts, I began categorizing them as the B, C, and D games.
Games I didn’t want to play.
When I daydream, and I do this too often, I feel my peace and joy deteriorate to anxiety. I stop and consider the thought that began winding up the negativity. And I ask myself:
Is this thought my A-game of adoration, being thankful and filled with praise? Or is this my B, C, or D game that I don’t want to play?
In school, you can get by with a B, C, or D.
But in real life, B thoughts, C thoughts, or D thoughts are Failing. They are an “F!” I lose when I bemoan myself, compare myself to others, or demean my actions or skills.
I also found that when I played the B, C, and D games with myself, it was too easy to bemoan, criticize, or demean others. Only those who achieve A-game thoughts have positive words, attitudes, and actions of others.
Be mindful of the A-Game with your thoughts. Make a game of it, and your Default (DMN) thinking will be filled with joy!
A-Game!
For aficionados of Interruptions, you will instantly note this Interruption #1427 is exactly he same as Interruption #741. Yes, this is a repeat. I rarely do a repeat, but playing the A-Game has been such an important part of my walk with Jesus, allowing me an “adoration” attitude, that I wanted to remind you to play the A-Game!!!