There are four voices in my head; body, mind, heart, and spirit. Just like the movie Inside Out, they sometimes talk all at once and it can be difficult to figure out which one to listen to.
My body is separate from my mind. My mind is separate from my heart. And the voice of the Spirit is separate from all of them. Each has its own voice. Each tries to guide and direct my ways. Who will I pay attention to?
The Characters
Most often I listen to my body. This is the . . .
DEMANDING TODDLER
She gets hungry, tired, cold, hot or fidgety and screams out her complaint. She leaves me unmotivated, sleepy, searching for a warm place to hide or opening the refrigerator door to cool off. When she hurts, she'll cause me to focus on the immediate need of how to get relief. It's just like living with a 2-year old.
My mind uses logic. This is the . . .
nerd
To the nerd, A comes before B and so on. She believes people should to act like numbers where 2 plus 2 always equals 4. Can you see the problem with this? Logic, although very useful when solving complex mathematical equations, can be a drag at a party. The nerd just doesn’t know how to relate.
And then there's my heart? She's the . . .
drama queen
Depending on the day, she can be anything from over the top exciting or suck the life right out of me. Her emotions are unpredictable. She can be so much fun to be with but she’s prone to paint my future hopeless. Sometimes she sees differences in people as intolerable, idiotic or just plain stupid.
So how about the Spirit? She's the . . .
cool girl
This is the smart, quiet, thoughtful young woman at the back of the class who isn’t pushy but will eventually run a company. She doesn’t force herself on anyone. This is the person you randomly run into at the coffee shop and find out she is really cool! You want to spend time with her because she has wisdom and is fun. She isn’t prone to drama and seems to love everyone regardless of how unique they are. The cool girl is the Spirit of God.
Who are you listening to?
The toddler needs to be silenced. Although she's demanding, her needs can be taken care of so she doesn’t scream so loud. Sometimes she needs to be put in ‘time-out’ (eat your vegetables) and other times she needs to do her chores (exercise). There are also times you can plop her in front of a movie so she sits quietly for a while (rest).
The nerd needs to know her place. Sometimes she's useful but her skills (knowledge) can be awkward in other settings, . . . unless of course, she's talking to another nerd. We all have an inner-nerd (intellect). Make sure you don't shut her down. But the nerd also needs to know when to stay silent. We’ve all encountered a ‘know-it-all’ nerd (insecure) who talks so much we wish we could push a pause button and have her frozen in time. She blathers on and on about something no one's interested in. Tame your inner nerd by paying attention to others.
The drama queen is . . . just . . . too . . . much! Listening to her will take you on a roller coaster ride (emotional!) with no way off. She can be exhausting! If she and your inner-nerd can learn to play together, they'll come up with a nice balance. Picture them on a teeter-totter where each one is on top for just a split second.
And the cool girl (Spirit)? You need to get to know her. Sit with her (your fearless authentic God-given self) and listen to what she says about life. She’ll keep things in perspective, do the right thing, and know how to have fun. She won’t take energy from you but will make you a better person. And people are attracted to her. She lives in a way that the rest of us aspire to but can be afraid of revealing to the world.
Get to know all the characters of YOU. Give them what they need and teach them to be strong but not extreme. Accept that they're part of you. Have a conversation with them and make sure you're listening to the one that's best for you, . . . not the one that's speaking the loudest.