Be Careful

             Only be careful for yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. (Deuteronomy 4:9)

If we are going to live conscious lives, we need to figure out what we should be conscious of, because being constantly conscious about everything isn’t possible and, even if it were, it would be exhausting. Today’s passage suggests that we should be conscious of our consciousness, mindful of our minds, and aware of our awareness. We should pay attention to our attention and care about our care. It sounds odd. It sounds OCD, but it all comes back to the ideas of self-control, diligence, mastery, and being present. We’re to watch over our souls. That means every aspect of our lives. The focuses of this passage seem to me to be the thoughts and feelings. By extension, we’re to watch over our memories, expectations, hopes, and beliefs.

I’ve written before of the fact that I sometimes don’t realize that I’m depressed until a month or more down the line when I find myself crying over nothing again. I have also caught myself worrying, and when I asked myself what I was worried about, I couldn’t come up with an answer. I was worrying about nothing. Now that’s an accomplishment. Most of the time when I finally realize I’m worrying, I have something I’m worried about.

This is where a journal becomes useful because it tends to draw one’s attention to what one is feeling or thinking. More often than not, my journal entries never get past the complaints, the whining, and the pity party – but they can be more because they can be records of the things we are told not to forget; the things our eyes have seen, prayer requests and answers, things you have learned. They can be opportunities to turn away from the complaining, whining, and pity partying to put what you are learning into your own words, and so much more.

You could use it for a challenge like those I’ve been reading about: a record of who you thanked each day in your goal to thank X people in a year, or a record of blessings God gives, whether it’s a sunrise or a yummy muffin; or as a record of victories and failures that you want to watch God redeem. You could even come up with categories for different days, like Saturday Satisfaction, Monday Motivation, or Thursday Thanks. Include anything that lets you connect with God, with your thoughts, your feelings, your will, your body. If you have a journal on your computer, include pictures. If you sketch, include pictures. Include reviews of books you’ve read, definitions of words you’ve learned, commentary on Bible verses. Make your journal your brain away from brain.