Be Transformed

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” – Romans 12:2 NIV


Photo by Ryan Holst

Photo by Ryan Holst

 

“You’re not happy until you find something to beat yourself up about.”

 

The words had hit me as they hung in the air.  My feelings were hurt, and I wondered how he could say such a thing.

 

Yet as I consoled my pride, my heart whispered to me…

 

You know what he says is true.

 

Somewhere along the way, my mind has gone foraging.  Not for thoughts that are true, or lovely, or praiseworthy, but for ones that judge, and criticize, and condemn.

 

I’ve wandered into a forest of lousy thinkin’ and I’ve made myself right at home.

 

“Well, at least they’re aimed at myself.” I thought.  “I’m not hurting anyone besides me.”

 

But later that night, as my husband and I were saying our prayers, and asking the Lord for protection of our daughter’s mind, God reminded me that, “None of us lives for ourselves alone.” (Romans 14:7)

 

The way I think of myself, has influenced how our daughter thinks of herself.

 

Without realizing it, I’ve dragged her into my forest.

 

I’ve decided a revival of my thoughts is needed.  No wait, a transformation is required.

 

A revival speaks of bringing back something that was lost, what I want is a permanent change.  A “getting off the eastbound bus, and getting on the northbound train” kind of change.

 

So how does that happen?

 

The Apostle Paul tells us.

 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world.

 

The first thing I get out of this is to not let ourselves get lost in the trappings of this world.  Our minds should focus on the eternal, not the temporal.  Don’t covet what Mr. Jones has, don’t talk like him, or think like him.  I get that.

 

But I also think it means we shouldn’t follow the typical patterns people follow to improve their thoughts and behaviors.

 

Society encourages us to fix ourselves using our own “power”.  Bookstore shelves are filled with self-help books, and there lies the problem – they’re self-help, and so ultimately, “self-fail”.

 

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

 

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been able to transform anything.  I can rearranged a room, or re-upholster a chair, a rework the plants in my garden, but the reality is that the shell of the room, or the chair, or the garden is still the same.  I’ve only changed the surface of it.

 

To transform something takes a power I wasn’t created to have.

 

Be transformed.

 

By the grace of God, he will take us into his Mighty Hands and shaped us, mold us, and work us, but it cannot happen until we first yield to the process – to give up our “self-help” attitude.

 

Oh, we have are part, like being mindful of the music we listen to, or the people we seek counsel from, or what we do with the time we’re given, but these decisions only tend to the surface.

 

Christ is the only one who transforms.

 

So my quest is to let God transform me.  I will yield, and bend, and submit.  It will stretch me, and at times, I will feel the pain of refinement.  I welcome the process.  If not for myself, most definitely for my daughter.

 

How about you?  Have you traveled into a forest of lousy thinkin”?

 

Lord, thank you for having the power to transform.  I willingly submit myself to your refining work.  Give me courage to yield to the process, and help me to never forget that I am a part of a larger whole.  Amen.

 

 

 

7 Replies

  1. Carrie

    Hmmm…that sounds like someone I know! I beat myself up entirely too much. That’s the bad part – I’m totally aware of it & I don’t change it! I’ve made attemps but never truly “transformed”. I tried books and even a personal bible study called: Me, Myself and Lies. I never completely finished it though. Perhaps I need to & get over all that silly stuff that I tell myself. It’s so true that how we treat ourselves carries on to others. Thanks for sharing. It’s amazing what God can do with us. It just takes us to open our minds and hearts to Him and the possibilities.

    1. I just love to read your comments Carrie! You have blossomed so much since I met you. May the Lord continue to work his way in you! Be blessed.

      1. Carrie

        Awww thanks Raye! I have to give credit though where it’s due…the women of faith studies we’ve done, the acceptance & encouragement I’ve been given by others in group play a big role in my growth. I’m so grateful that I’m blessed to have all that & then some that enrich my life & spirit!

  2. Devery

    This is an Amen, and Amen, encouragement, my sister, and is a word that is not heard, or heeded enough. Jesus is the answer, and total surrender to Him, and His redeeming ways, will get us the transformation we need….not drugs, not self-help and psycho babble that seems to be so wide spread in the church. These tactics are taking the place that Jesus, alone, should be holding as our counselor, and the result is brothers and sisters oppressed and depressed for decades, unable to receive the healing that Christ so lovingly wants to give us. Keep this kind of encouragement coming, because we so desperately need to hear it!

    1. Thank YOU for your encouragement Devery! The powerlessness we feel in our struggles often shrouds us from God’s freeing Truth. May we all be set free! Thank you for sharing your thoughts today.

  3. This is one of my favorite scriptures Raye! It transformed my life path. Several years back I was at a place where I was stuck. I was burdened with fear and it sometimes was crippling. A dear friend shared that scripture with me and I’ve never been the same since. I had tried for years to get over my fears, but inevitably fell back into the same traps. God transformed me from the inside out renewing my mind. Of course I have bad days or even weeks from time to time but I pray for that renewing and am aware of how different the ways of the world are from Gods way. And if I let Him, once again I’m transformed. Thanks for sharing.

    1. What a beautiful testimony Wendy, thank you so much for sharing! Praise God for the power we have in Him!

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