Think about Instagram. You search for fitness videos or like cooking posts. Soon, your whole feed is full of gym tips and recipes. The other stuff – travel, cars, news – is still out there, but you don’t see it much. Why? The algorithm shows you more of what you already look at or like. It’s not that other content is gone. It’s just that the system is built to give you more of what you focus on.

Your brain works the same way.

This is called the Red Car Theory. If you decide to buy a red car, suddenly you see red cars everywhere. They were always there. But now your brain is paying attention to them. This idea comes from psychology. It’s been studied for years. Scientists call it the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or frequency illusion. There’s a part in your brain called the reticular activating system (RAS). It acts like a filter. It decides what you notice and what you ignore. When you focus on something, the RAS highlights it in your daily life.

How the Brain Changes What You See and Do

Three main things happen in your mind:

1. Selective Attention: Your brain picks out only what matches what you’re thinking about.
2. Priming: When you think about something again and again, your brain gets ready to act on it.
3. Confirmation Bias: Once you notice something, your brain looks for more proof that it’s important.

For example:

• A person learning guitar starts hearing guitar sounds in songs they never noticed before.
• A pregnant woman sees baby clothes and strollers everywhere.
• Someone planning a trip to Japan suddenly spots Japanese food, language apps, and travel ads.

The world didn’t change. Their focus did.

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How This Helps in Vox Divini Meditation

Those of us who do Vox Divini Meditation know we are supposed to focus on a quality of Jesus. For example, we think about how Jesus forgave quickly. Or how He stayed kind to Judas even though He knew Judas would betray Him. We look at that moment in the Bible and feel real admiration. Then we say inside, “Lord, I too want to be like You.”

After that, we picture a real situation in our own life. Maybe someone at work, like Mr. Mathew, said something bad about us. We imagine seeing him at the coffee machine. We see ourselves walking up, smiling, and saying “Good morning” in a friendly way. We even picture him smiling back. We think about how good it feels to choose kindness instead of anger.

This is not just daydreaming. It’s training the brain. Because we focused on Jesus’ forgiveness, our brain starts looking for chances to forgive. Even if we don’t do it perfectly the first time, our mind keeps noticing moments where we can act kindly. Over time, it becomes easier. We start responding like Jesus – not because we force it, but because our mind is now tuned to it.

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5).

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How This Helps in TAPPING (New Life and Good Action)

When we do TAPPING, the last two parts – New Life and Good Action – are very powerful. We look back at the day. Maybe we got angry with someone. Instead of feeling bad and stopping there, we talk to Jesus about it. We imagine the same situation again – but this time, we do it differently.

For example:
We remember shouting at our child. Now we close our eyes and picture the same moment. But this time, we stop, take a deep breath, and speak calmly. We see our child listening. We feel peace in our heart. We imagine hugging them after.

Your brain treats this picture like real practice. The next time something similar happens, that calm response feels more natural. It’s not fake. It’s because your mind has already “done it” in imagination. This is priming at work.

“If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Cor 5:17).

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Practice Makes Perfect – Even in Imagination

We all know that doing something many times builds a habit. Play basketball every day, and your shots get better. Speak kindly often, and kindness becomes natural.

Here’s the amazing part: your brain treats vivid imagination like real action. Studies in sports psychology show that athletes who mentally rehearse a perfect free throw improve almost as much as those who physically practice. Brain scans prove the same areas light up whether you do the action or clearly imagine it. This is called motor imagery.

When you picture yourself forgiving Mr. Mathew with a smile – and feel the warmth, see his face, hear your voice – your brain logs it as a real event. It releases small amounts of dopamine (the “feel-good” chemical) and strengthens neural pathways. Each repetition is like one more real-life practice. Over time, the habit forms. The first real smile at Mr. Mathew feels easier because your brain has already “done it” many times in your mind.

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Psychology Is Helpful – But Grace Does the Real Work

Yes, priming and focus really work. If you keep thinking about patience, you will start seeing chances to be patient. If you picture courage, fear feels smaller. This is why Vox Divini Meditation and the New Life and Good Action steps in TAPPING feel so helpful – especially when you start.

But here’s the truth: You can’t change yourself just by thinking hard.

Psychology is like a tool. It helps in the beginning. It teaches you how to pay attention and get ready. But real, deep change? That needs God’s grace.

“Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

When you keep doing Vox Divini Meditation, something changes. At first, you are using your own effort to focus. You are training your mind. But as you go deeper – into quiet, contemplative moments – grace takes over. You don’t have to try so hard anymore. You just rest in Jesus’ presence. His love starts filling you. His qualities – like kindness, peace, courage – begin to come out of you naturally. It’s not your mind forcing it. It’s God working inside you.

“It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).

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Grace Uses Your Focus – Then Goes Beyond It

Both Vox Divini Meditation and the New Life and Good Action steps in TAPPING use priming.

• In Vox Divini, you focus on Jesus first and imagine acting like Him.
• In TAPPING, you look at your mistakes and imagine doing better with Jesus’ help.

Both train your brain to notice and choose better ways. But grace is what makes it last. Grace turns small efforts into real transformation.

“We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor 3:18).

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Simple Truth: What You Focus On Grows

Your mind is like Instagram. What you look at, think about, and imagine – that’s what fills your life.

When you focus on Jesus and picture yourself acting like Him, your brain starts helping you do it. Tools like Vox Divini Meditation and TAPPING give your mind clear direction. But only God’s grace gives you the power to actually live it.

Start small. Keep going.
One day, you’ll look back and see – you’re not just trying to be like Jesus.
You’re becoming more like Him – by His power, one step at a time.