Keeping My Mind Engaged

With four grandchildren who all live in the same house together, three of whom are also very close in age, I am always looking for new ideas for birthday and Christmas gifts. And, given my practical and teacher mindset, I usually buy things that will help develop their minds and not just their creative play inclinations. 

 One of my latest gifts for my ten-year-old granddaughter was an Extreme Dot-to-Dot book with pictures of baby animals that each contained hundreds of numbered dots to connect to form the pictures. She started creating almost immediately after opening the gift! But then I had an idea.

 

I also have always enjoyed doing dot-to-dot pictures; and with a couple of long flights coming up for our vacation, I was looking for more than my usual book to read on the planes to help pass the hours of confined inactivity. So, since I was flying internationally for our trip, I purchased for myself an Extreme Dot-to-Dot book with pictures of well-known scenery and other places around the world. And with my mind fully engaged, I managed to conquer eight of the pictures during four flights – including the most difficult two-page picture with 2,201 numbered dots! 

In this technology-saturated world that we live in, I’ve been thinking about the importance of continuing to use my mind as I grow older. While there are some great tools available for that on technology devices, screen time also presents the added danger of mindless activities that do nothing to keep me sharp and alert. And I’m reminded of Peter’s warning in his first letter to “be sober-minded” and to “be watchful” because Satan is prowling around like a lion just looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). 

There is a lot of emphasis in our culture on keeping our physical bodies fit and pushing our physical limits to improve strength and health. But when our minds need help, we often resort to medications instead of putting in the hard work to keep mentally fit. Maybe we could prevent some problems with our minds if we were more attentive to proactive measures before our brains forget how to think. I’m no expert, but I wonder. 

When I think about the words that Jesus identified as the “greatest commandment”, I am reminded that it involves every part of me . . . loving God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength (Mark 12:30). So, if I’m going to do that well, I need to use all the power I have to keep all four of those parts of me operating as well as I can. And only a sharp mind allows me to study God’s Word and maintain an undivided heart that is fully devoted to God (Psalm 86:11). 

Time to do some more reading and a dot-to-dot picture or two . . .