What Are You Thinking About?
Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8 CSB
The Oxford Word of the Year for 2024 is actually two words: Brain Rot.
Brain rot / (n.) Supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.
Here's why they chose brain rot:
"After over 37,000 votes, worldwide public discussion, and analysis of our language data, we have named ‘brain rot’ as our Word of the Year for 2024. Our experts noticed that ‘brain rot’ gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. The term increased in usage frequency by 230% between 2023 and 2024."*
How do we counter this condition? Well, the Bible has the answer. We have to change what we think about. We have to move from low-level thinking (brain rot) to high-level thinking (brain health). We go from thinking about the worthless to the worthwhile. We think about what brings about moral excellence, not moral decline.
The best place to start is by filling your mind with God's Word. Make sure that every day you have some sort of Bible intake. Start memorizing a verse of Scripture. Read a Proverb a day. Meditate on a Psalm. Read through the Gospels. Choose some way to make sure you're thinking about the truth. It will change your outlook and change your life!
Dear Heavenly Father, I sometimes fill my mind with things that do not edify me. While they might not be sinful, they are certainly not helpful. Please help me to change my thinking. Help me to choose in Your power to fill my thoughts with Your thoughts. Help me to love and linger long on the truth. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.