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Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:18-19a, ESV)
The study of human development reveals that the human brain has two opposing extremes motivating behavior — the squishy brain and the rigid brain. Which brain do you have?
Further explanation. . .
Squishy brain: a brain without boundaries, fear, and often lacking a clear sense of right and wrong.
Any parent enduring the “terrible twos” of a child witnesses the squishy brain in action. As my daughter used to humorously say about her children, “I have to watch them constantly, as they want to kill themselves and other children their age on a daily basis.”
Rigid brain: As we get older, we lose flexibility, get frustrated with change, grump at loud children in restaurants, and become too rigid to adapt. The proverbial older and mean neighbor comes to mind. I have two neighbors; one has sons who ride loud motorbikes on the street (I don’t care), and a new neighbor who, soon after moving in, came out to yell at the motorbiking youth.
Again, do you have a squishy brain or a rigid brain?
Other notes. . .
- Children with squishy brains need maturity to survive as adults, and adults with rigid brains need to be squished into enjoying life again.
- Squishy vs. rigid applies to Biblical doctrine. There’s a squishy doctrine of believing that everybody gets into heaven, and then the rigid who think, “Believe exactly like me in these matters of opinion, or you’re going to hell!”
- Those mature in Christ learn to maintain balance between squishy and rigid. God does new things, but He’s also holy. Jesus was squishy and rigid — He forgave the woman caught in adultery, but then told her to sin no more.
Examples of squishy vs. rigid vs. maturity. . .
- Eating five candy bars a day, eating nothing but boring muesli covered in raw honey, or understanding freedom in Christ, and making wise food choices.
- Parents dominating children with their beliefs, parents telling children to follow their passions, or parents who teach their children to love Jesus and follow Him.
- Adults who hoard money, others who go bankrupt from unwise decisions, or those who obey Jesus, knowing that He provides.
I admit that my life tendency is to be squishy (as a former hippie, I’m emotionally allergic to rigidity), and I’ve paid the price for leaping too far without sufficient structure to support my ministry endeavors.
Studies show that teenagers literally keep a squishy brain until their mid-twenties, and if they didn’t, they’d lose the squishiness needed to grow, try new things, find their careers, and develop lasting relationships. Studies also reveal that the phrase “use it or lose it” is true with adults who stop learning, exercising, and enjoying new pursuits as they get sicker, meaner, and die prematurely.
Are we squishy, rigid, or growing in Christ?