Today’s Verse:
I am being transformed by the
renewing of my mind. (Romans 12:2)
In Context:
I urge you therefore,
brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of
worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect
will of God. (Romans 12: 1-2)
Oh, how I love this
passage!! Who doesn’t want to be transformed now and again? Do not be conformed to this world. People,
all different kinds of people, are what make this world interesting, and we
tend to be attracted in the media, in the realm of the rich and famous, and in
our everyday ventures in life by those who are unique, individual. I like being unique. I am proud there is no
one else quite like me. So, how can I be
transformed by the renewing of my mind on a daily basis?
Well, for me this means taking one step closer each day to
becoming my ideal me, the me God intended me to be. I will never be perfect, but I can still
strive to be. Now, this does not mean beating myself up every day about all the
things that are not perfect or stressing about it or becoming OCD in my
perfectionist efforts. It means simply to work on one goal each day. For example, maybe tomorrow my goal will be
the advice I often give to the children I work with, but don’t always put into practice
myself: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Sometimes
it’s better to keep your thoughts to yourself if it’s not something that is
going to actually solve a problem or encourage another. Transforming myself may also mean changing a
negative thought into a positive one in order to improve my mood. Sometimes, I
can get annoyed at a challenging situation or another’s attitude toward me and
allow it to ruin my otherwise good day, but who says I have to? No one, that’s
who! I can transform myself and my mood by the renewing of my mind. Maybe that
means taking my 15-minute break to go get a cup of coffee with a co-worker who
makes me laugh. Maybe it means saying a quick prayer and taking a walk outside
in the fresh air. Maybe it means going to play with the kids in the classrooms
and allow them to bring me back to my senses and show me what’s truly important.
There’s so many things we can do to turn things around. The
brains God gave us are amazing, and we have more control over our feelings and
thoughts than most of us realize. I
remember when my youngest son was little, and he would make a bad choice that
upset me. I would ask him “Why did you
do that?” He would reply, “My brain told me to do it.” Do you know what I said
next? I told him to tell his brain his brain, “No!” and make a better
choice. Even as a toddler, I was trying
to help him understand that you CAN and DO have the ability to change your
thoughts, and you always have a choice of how you will react to any and every
given situation in your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment