Elephants

Does Remembering Help You Survive?

Photo by Paul Hart on Unsplash

The Wonder of Elephants

Elephants are fascinating animals. They can pick up a grain of rice with a trunk that weighs over 200 pounds, can recognize themselves in the mirror, have tusks that never stop growing, and are extremely emotional animals. One of the most interesting things about elephants is their long-term memory.

You may have heard that an elephant never forgets.

Memory Linked with Survival

An elephant’s ability to recall details long-term is intended for survival. They can live a long time as a result of being able to remember people and animals that they have interacted with years prior. In addition to keeping the herd safe, an elephant can use long-term memory to guide other elephants to water over very long distances.

Is your long-term memory helping you survive? Hang onto the details that will enhance your life, not the ones that weigh you down.

Instead of trying to hold onto several negative memories, hold onto the lessons you learned instead.

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Philippians 3:13 says, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on”.

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Interested in a Daily Faith Boost?

This post comes from a devotional series called 4:00 AM Faith. It is written each morning and sent in a condensed format to several people. If you are interested in receiving a daily faith boost, email me at lmcdonell2001@yahoo.com and specify if you would like it to be sent as email or text, and if phone number, provide the number.

A Thousand Experiences

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I Learned a lot in 2019

I experienced what it was like to live in New York, have cystic fibrosis, live during the times of Alexander Hamilton, chase a lion, grow up as a child who was born right after September 11, 2001, embark on a rescue mission through the cave in Thailand, compete in the Olympics, do thousands of pull-ups, be worried about being deported, be a principal in Georgia, hide in a marsh waiting out an accusation of murder, understand social anxiety, live in the White House as the First Lady, make a million dollars, audition for TV shows, serve as a lawyer on a trial in Mississippi, walk the Appalachian Trail, be tattooed in Auschwitz, find the third door,  and participate in a money cleanse.

One of the reasons I love reading is that there are so many opportunities to learn how to be filled with empathy, wonder, integrity, bravery, humility, leadership, gratitude, hope, perspective, forgiveness, and perseverance. 

Philippians 4:9 says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you”.

The Gift of Authors

God blesses us with contemporary authors as well as Biblical ones can tell stories that show us how to be better people.  Daniel is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Stories of how Daniel survives in a lion’s den, three men are saved from a fiery furnace and dream interpretations are brought before a king shows us how to deal with our circumstances before they master us. 

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*This post comes from a devotional series called 4:00 AM Faith. It is written each morning and sent in a condensed format to several people.  If you are interested in receiving a daily faith boost, email me at lmcdonell2001@yahoo.com and specify if you would like it to be sent as email or text, and if phone number, provide the number.