I wrote my first book--Chip, Come Home--at age eight. To be sure, I don't say that to brag. In fact, it was an embarrassingly misspelled, grammatically-incorrect, clumsy saga of a girl who lost her beloved dog, Chip. Still, I entered the Dade-County Youth Fair's writing contest. Someone pitied me enough to put a "Great Job" sticker on the cover. But to an eight-year-old daydreamer, the experience was pretty neat and super edifying.

For aslong as I can remember, my imagination has rivaled Walt Disney's, George Lucas' and C.S. Lewis'. As a little girl, I wasn't hyperactive, just hyper-thinking. Not that I'm saying I was or am a genius (not by a long shot. Just uberly curious.Funny how I often did poorly in school. It's hard for me to describe but I always felt really anointed and knew I was a blessed little girl. I had a healthy enough upbringing and,without question,felt that God was smiling upon me.

I IMAGINED God. God was BIG to me.

I remember having vivacious images of God, even though I didn't receive salvation until years later. When I accepted Christ, nothing fulfilled me more than discovering the Word, going beyond the Creation story and plunging for the first real time into all of the Biblical tales.

My soul was a bottomless cup.

At the time, I was in the thick of my undergraduate English degree. Oh yes, I was learning all about theory and postmodernism and dissecting a literary work...learning how to think like the writer(s) thought. Awesomeness! But I look back now and realize that this practice translated into how I learned the Word as well. I admit that I didn't expect the Bible to be intellectually stimulating. The truth is, it puts War & Peace to shame!

So why is it that when I'm in the thick of life--when my hands are throbbing and acrylic nails painfully dangling on account of a freak accident (amazing that I can type!)--why do I forget all the promises in God's Word? He's a balm in Gilead, a Healer, the Great Physician by Whose stripes we are healed.

Or when I invest money, time, prayer and focus into a venture that just doesn't pan out...when I've hacked away at a project for six months but my Spirit is saying let it go. Why don't I remember my FASCINATION with God and how, as the worship song says, "I stand, I stand in awe of Him?"

Where's that switch that ought to make me recall that I'm the head and not the tail...above and not beneath, that no weapon formed against me will prosper and that I'm more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus?

The downside of having a locomotive-type mind is that every so often it just won't shut down the negativity. Joyce Meyers coined it The Battlefield of the Mind. At times, it's a chore to, as Paul advised, think on things that are lovely, noble, pure and of good report. The mind of Christ is the mind unattainable, or so it seems. During moments like these I wish I could spark that big ole optimistic wonder that I had as a little girl and that innocent thirst that I had as a babe in Christ. I believe that it is the enemy's plan to steal our pep and mental stamina.

For those who struggle with mental burn-out and stress, hang in there. Aside from salvation, God's greatest blessing is a beautiful mind. When we believers give defeating thoughts welcome mats into our souls, we may as well allow the depression and anxiety to become our roommates. Don't give up;  you have the victory! Avoid isolation and surround yourself with warriors. Shun filthy media and outlets that, very simply, don't fuel your growth or stretch your purpose.

Chase God. Devour the Word. Fill the empty spaces in life with the True and Living God. Play scripture-filled and uncluttered Gospel music. Worship in your car, at your desk, while cooking. Maintain consistency; keep on "doing life." Seek wholeness with a sense of urgency.

Whatever you do, swim. Don't sink!

Because it's only for a season.

Ana Guthrie is a super cool chick with a heart for God and love for youth culture. She doubles as a not-so-naughty librarian and instructor at Florida Memorial University in Miami, Florida.