Useful

Filters are useful devices. They trap contaminants or pollutants. 

For instance, every fall, my husband replaces the furnace filter in our furnace. In this way, the new and clean filter catches airborne contaminants that would otherwise block our heating system. Without a clean filter, the warm air generated from our furnace would stink. Not only that, the furnace would have to work harder, wearing out its motor sooner. 

Another example includes air filters on cars. The air filter in a car keeps the air that goes into the car engine and cabin clean by trapping contaminants like dust, dirt, fumes and dead bug bodies. 

This last summer, the mechanic who changed my oil and checked my air filter was so astounded by what he found that he had to show me. My air filter was filled with dead bug bodies. 

Without a clean air filter in my car, my engine was working harder to perform. Replacing that filter, solved the problem.   

 Our bodies are created with filters too.  

Take for example, the kidneys. About one million nephrons are at work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week inside our kidneys. What is not reabsorbed by our body is turned into waste, known as urine and discharged. If our kidneys malfunction, then we build up waste in our bodies that can lead to all kinds of expensive and stinky health issues.

Finally, there are our brains. They have a filter system too. It’s called sensory gating. Sensory gating is centered around the thalamus and helps our brains decide which information is relevant based on our current focus and priorities. If our sensory gating is not running smoothly our brains will be over stimulated causing an inability to think straight, concentrate or focus on any one thing at a time. 

Spiritually Speaking

Spiritually speaking, how do we keep our moral filter clean so that we can catch the world’s contaminants that can wreak havoc in our lives?  

Speaking from personal experience, unless I am fortifying my mind with spiritual truths found in the scriptures, then my moral filter gets clogged resulting in contaminated thinking.

For example, sometimes I forget who is in charge and when that happens, my mind fills with anxious thoughts. Therefore, I’ve memorized a scripture that tells me that I do not have to fret or worry about anything. 

This is a good scripture for me. It reminds me that God is in charge and that I can take all my worries and anxious thoughts to God by way of prayer. When I do, then, the truth, that God is in charge, filters out the worries and I’m given peace. 

Why Bother?

Why bother checking your filters? Filters are useful devices whether for a body, machine or mind. Check them often because a well working filter makes everything run smoother.