"The Boss of My Brain"

At age 4, my youngest looked right at my husband and proclaimed, "No Daddy, You are not the boss of my brain!"  It was one of the moments that was hard to respond without gales of laughter.

I remembered that yesterday, I considered in two separate discussions the reality of authority.  I asked myself last night, do I sound like my 4 year old?

In the gospel of Matthew, Matthew seems to go out of his way to point to Christ's identity as Messiah and his authority as Messiah.  My shorthand is Jesus as both Lord and Savior.  The Saving part is not much a problem for me to embrace--I need some saving!  The Lord part, I don't contend in theory but in reality, I wonder?  How do I live minute to minute as Lord being Lord?  What does it look like for Christ to be the authority in my life--decisions, relationships, opportunities?

A picture of authority:

• Power to determine
• Adjuciate/settle an issue
• The right to control
• The right to command
• The right to detetrmine
• The right to influence
• The power to enforce
• A confidence that comes from great expertise

What would it look like to be able to claim, yes Abba, you are the Boss of my Brain?  Jump to Paul who lived with that reality:

We demolish arguements and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5

I thought, what does it mean to put my thoughts under the authority of a person, not a concept or set of ideals? How does my mind, my thoughts,  which are too often:

• Critical
• Silly
• Worried
• Spinning in an unhealthy direction
• Way too often self centered
• Small

become obedient (exousia--the power of choice, the right) to person, the Lord, Christ?

Should I ask for permission to do things (prayer)?
Should I be familiar with the record of responses and expectations (scripture)?
Should I be in a posture of one who is not in control or holding power, but looking to one who is (worship)?
Should I remember that the mind of Christ is almost always upside down from my natural thought process?
Should I listen and learn from others whose thoughts are often not independent ones, but dependent on Christ?
Should I review the list above, what makes up authority and pursue ordinary ways to cooperate?
Should I not only care about what my Lord cares about--but be willing to do something about it (serve)?

It's Lent:  as season to consider closely, the breadth and depth of God's mercy and sacrifice and majesty.  Given the brilliance of it all, the answer is, I should.