Building Your Mind-Memory
Keep my commands and
you will live; guard my teachings as the
apple of your eye. Bind them on your
fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 7:2-3)
Several years ago I had the opportunity to interview Lyndon
Rush, the Canadian bobsled athlete. He and Jessie Lumsden were the 2013 overall
two-man World Champions and he piloted the Canadian 4-man bobsled team to a bronze
medal at the 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Winter Olympic Games. He now coaches young
athletes to excel in this sport of finger-tip reflexes and break-neck speed.
Lyndon Rush’s role on the team as driver meant that he
needed to guide the bobsled through the twists and turns of the world’s most dangerous
tracks. He explained that his position required both great physical strength
and mental toughness, as he was responsible for the lives of his teammates.
“People can die in this sport if you don’t know what you’re doing,” he said in
the interview.
As the driver of both the 4-man and 2-man events, Lyndon Rush
put into practice a skill which he learned as a young boy; building his
mind-memory. Rush grew up in a Christian home and memorized scripture as a
child. He employed this same skill, memorizing and visualizing the perfect line
of each track. His ability to guard the fine details of each course enabled him
to compete at a world-class level.
The same skill is needed for us as we navigate the
complexities of the Covid-19 world. We are able to employ the words of Proverbs
7, which promises to keep us from wayward ways; keeping us on track. Memorizing
the Word of God and focusing on His promises enables us to live in such a way
that the “straight paths” or furrows of Proverbs 3:5-6 become our natural reaction
to the circumstances and temptations that are thrown our way. Hiding God’s Word
in our hearts – scripture memory – is one way to ensure that we can keep our
way pure and not sin against Him (Psalm 119:9, 11).
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