Muscle or Cognizant Memory

When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Suddenly? Really? It may seem to some of us that the 'whole new thing' isn't all that 'new' - some of that 'old stuff' hangs around for a while, or crops up from time to time, making it kind of hard to say everything became 'new' when we said 'yes' to Jesus. It isn't uncommon that the hurts and hangups of yesterday can creep up from time to time, all because we have both muscle memory and cognizant memory. Muscle memory is when we do something without even giving it much conscious thought. Cognizant memory is when we actually think upon it, then act upon it, oftentimes making a very 'determined' decision to pursue something we might know to be entirely wrong for us. Either way, we struggle with those things that creep up on occasion, making us wonder if this 'new us' really 'took hold' when we invited Christ into our lives! Truth be told, we might believe the 'bridge' to our past is broken so well that we could not pass that way again, but if we are honest, some of us actually hold onto some 'building materials' just in case we decide to 'go back' that way again!

Rather than doubt that all things have become new, we have to reassure ourselves over and over again that when Christ declared us 'new' he also provided us with the means to let go of those building materials. We may have stockpiled a few loads of that stuff that ties us to the past, but as long as we are willing to put forth the effort to obtain some new 'building materials', our present doesn't have to be tied to our past any longer. As our new year continues, we may have committed to getting into God's word - actually dusting off that bible, cracking the barely opened pages, and setting forth into a 'reading plan' of sorts. Reading is good, but we may lack the 'building material' of actually taking the time to record just a few words or thoughts about what that scripture we're reading is saying about our lives, how to let go of some of that 'old stuff', and what to do when things like 'muscle memory' find us acting as we acted before we said yes to Christ. It is one thing to be given the new building materials, it is another to learn how to use them. It may not be journaling we are missing, but it could be we don't have a strong support system of other believers. 

Either way, we need to ask Jesus what we are lacking, then listen closely to what he says will help us to break the bonds to our muscle or cognizant memory that keeps us focused on what we 'were' and stops us from seeing what we 'are' and 'are becoming'. Just sayin!