Have you already taken a shower or bath this morning? Did any great ideas come to mind as the smells of soaps, shampoos, or suds wafted through the air? If they did, you’re not alone. This phenomenon affects a lot of people as they’re scrubbing away the dirt of the day or just relaxing in their bubble bath. The reason for these creative bursts of ingenuity and enlightenment have a scientific explanation.
“Research shows you’re more likely to have a creative epiphany when you’re doing something monotonous… Since these routines don’t require much thought, you flip to autopilot. This frees up your unconscious to work on something else. Your mind goes wandering, leaving your brain to quietly play a no-holds-barred game of free association.
“This kind of daydreaming relaxes the prefrontal cortex—the brain’s command center for decisions, goals, and behavior. It also switches on the rest of your brain’s “default mode network” (DMN), clearing the pathways that connect different regions of your noggin. With your cortex loosened up and your DMN switched on, you can make new, creative connections that your conscious mind would have dismissed…
“Thinking hard about a problem deactivates your default network. It boosts your prefrontal cortex’s control. This isn’t a bad thing—it tightens your focus and gives you the power to stop gawking at cat pictures and hit that deadline. But it can also dig you into a creative rut. Because when you’re deeply focused on a task, your brain is more likely to censor unconventional—and creative—solutions…
“And that’s the beauty of a warm shower. It distracts you. It makes you defocus. It lets your brain roam. It activates your DMN and encourages wacky ideas to bounce around.”1
Though I didn’t know the scientific explanation, I can certainly attest to the experiential truth of this explanation. Many times, while preparing sermons or writing these devotionals, I get stuck. Try as I might, I can’t get a thought flowing or make sense of a topic I’m working through. I go off and do something else, whether it be a shower, mowing, or something essentially mindless – or mind numbing. All of a sudden, clarity hits like a wave, granting me the idea or understanding.
Now, this doesn’t take anything away from the Lord. He is the One who made our brains
to work the way they do. I know and acknowledge that ultimately the inspiration comes from God. HE gives the idea, understanding, or direction. But He uses the natural which He created to bring about the supernatural. He is the One who created our brains that sometimes need to be shut off in order to get turned on.
One of the things that can keep us from having our brains “turned on” to the Lord and for the things of the Lord is found in Romans 12:2. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Our minds need to be renewed. But how is that accomplished?
One way in which this is accomplished is found in Philippians 4:6-7. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” When worry and stress consume our thinking, there’s a good chance that we aren’t going to be thankful, therefore robbing us of the peace the Lord wants us to have.
Another key to rewiring our brain is found in Colossians 3:9-10. “… seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him…” It is God’s plan and desire that we become more like Christ, not just in our actions but in our thought life. The way to get more knowledge is to get in God’s Word and get to know the Lord better every day.
Naturally, we have to take some control of our thought life. Philippians 4:8 gives us eight things we are to intentionally think upon. And 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us what to do with the thoughts that have no business being in our brains.
While relaxing and doing mind-numbing activities may be the answer to solving a problem at work, this is not the way to get our minds saturated and fixed on Jesus. Instead, we must practice Proverbs 16:3. “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”
1https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/52586/why-do-our-best-ideas-come-us-shower
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