Recently someone sent me a fascinating article based on some research that has been done at Northwestern University. Apparently, the people we choose to spend time with affects us dramatically. The article notes that “choosing the right friends is important because it causes our brain waves to resemble those of the people we spend the most time with. This means we start becoming alike, and pick up their desirable behaviors and ways of seeing the world without being conscious of it.”
The research suggests that choosing people is more important than choosing what to eat, what to wear, where to go, what to do, or what to order. One person states, “the more important decision we have when going to a restaurant, for example, is who to go with. That is far more important and impactful than the choices on the menu.”
The same person says, “we get on the same wavelength with those we spend the most time with. If people want to make life improvements, such as reading more or getting better at something, then they should spend their time with someone who has those desirable traits and they will naturally pick them up.”
While I find this research fascinating and valid, what if we become more and more like, more and more in alignment with, not just those we spend the most time with, but with whom or what we choose to serve as well.
And the choices of whom or what we serve each day are limitless, both good and bad. We can choose to serve God, assets, an identity, family, our egos, an image, a profession, a political party, or a specific role we have in life, just to name a few. And whom or what we choose to serve impacts everything.
All of this causes me to wonder what might happen if you and I choose moment to moment to serve Christ. What if by choosing to serve Christ our minds get on the same wavelength with Jesus. What if by choosing to serve Christ, our days begin to reflect who God is.
And how might we see the challenges, joys, heartaches, struggles, fears, hopes, dreams, and let downs imbedded within each day if our minds were on the same wavelength as God’s? What might happen if during discussions, meetings, meals, random happenings, and events that occur
I have come to understand that if we want to change our lives for the better, the best place to start is not on the outside, but on the inside. The more we spend time with God, the more we make serving Christ our priority, the more we will find changes happening on the outside. The important thing about all of this is to make daily conscious choices, not only about the people we spend the most time with, but whom or what we are serving. Such decisions will dramatically affect the course of each moment.
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