Did you know that today you can remap your brain and thinking process. 

During the formative years from the ages zero to twelve, the right side of the brain builds its relational imprinting. The right side of the brain governs the interactions of our relational life: who we love, our emotional responses to our surroundings, our ability to calm ourselves, and our identity, both as individuals and as a community. The right side manages our strongest relational connections (both to people and God). The right side is the initiator of an individual’s long term character formation.

So if during these formative years the individual were to experience emotional imprints that are abusive, deviant, addictive or demented, then emotional damage would occur and destructive attachments would be established. The relational center of the right brain processes and send its impulses to the left side of the brain, where our ability for logical thought, problem solving, deductive reasoning, would be skewed. Thus the ability to make good choices and decisions would most likely be twisted or impaired. This is the human experience for most of us, so we have need for some point of restoration in our brain. Our mind needs to be renewed, our brain needs some remapping. Has God given us a way to refresh, remap our right brain in such a way that it will bring about healthy attachments, stronger character and our joy center restored? Yes! 

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it - Ps. 118:24

Through active gratitude you re-joy and find gladness for today and beyond. Active gratitude is simply taking a few moments and letting your brain reflect, ponder, contemplate a memory in your life that brings up gratitude. Ask the Holy Spirit as you close your eyes to bring back a memory that activates gratitude in your heart and mind, knowing that God initiated that encounter, that he was the provider that gave you the experience as a gift. Recall that memory and let its emotions of gratefulness, peace, calm and hope linger. Stay there for twenty seconds allowing the benefiting attached emotions to cascade over your mind and soul. This Psalm declares that we should realize that this is the Lord’s day and to activate our will to re-joy and be glad in it. This practice renews our mind and remaps the right siderelational center of our brain. How wonderful that we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth and then to realize practical life demonstration of his character. Joy is fruit coming from being in connection to the Holy Spirit through body, soul and mind.