Chaplain Ronnie Melancon
Wouldn’t you like to have a filter inn your brain that filters what’s important and what’s not? Well, you do. It’s called the “Reticular Activation System” or RAS. It’s the part of your brain that automatically filters out what is not important to you, and brings your attention to the things that are.
We all have it. A Mother will tell you that they can pick out their own child’s voice among the noise of many children. Dad can be snoring so loud the windows are rattling, and Mom can learn to sleep soundly through it. But let her baby make a small whimper, and she’s wide awake.
Our brains automatically filter what is important and what is not. God made us this way so we could choose what we value.
As police officers you often deal with the negatives of society. It takes a special person to be in that environment daily and not be affected in a negative way. Tragically, when you are affected it is often your family that suffers also. A sure way not to be affected by these negatives is to place your values in the Word of God. Look at these two scriptures from the teachings of the Apostle Paul.
Romans 12:21 – “Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.” (NLT)
Romans 16:19 – “But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to see clearly what is right and to stay innocent of any wrong.” (NLT)
Good is far more powerful than evil. If you focus on doing good, your power will come from God and will ultimately overcome the evil you are confronted with. A righteous person governs their life by living and focusing on doing good, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace. In fact, that is why you are called a Peace Officer.
Even though evil people sometimes do good things, the evil of their heart produces a life of sorrow and destruction. We really do reap what we sow.
Remember, we get what we focus on. We can choose what we think about. God gave us His Holy Word and the RAS system of our brains to help this process along.
Lord bless,
Chaplain Ronnie Melancon