"Be made new in the attitude of your minds." Ephesians 4:23
As a teenager, I had a penchant for moving my furniture around, painting my room, adding and removing beloved objects and displaying momentos. If you could see around the dirty laundry, piles of books and clutter, I loved designing my space. My mom probably put up with this because it forced me to (at least occasionally!) clean my room. As a busy working mom, I no longer have the time to remodel the rooms of my house as often as I used to...although some of my walls are screaming for new paint and others are bare waiting to be filled.
I have been busy, during the last few years, with a far more important renovation...on the inside. If you could only have seen the state of my heart and my mind when I began...piles and piles of anger, sadness, hopelessness and chaos ; the clutter of false beliefs about myself, others and life; dirt and grime-covered negative thoughts constantly swirling in my head.
I still shake my head at the mess I see, but I know that I have come a long way in cleaning out the clutter, and beautifying my life. This was not a task to tackle alone...my friend Jesus was more than willing to help; he brought me a renovation crew of Christian friends; and taught me through his Word what to throw away, and what to replace it with.
The renovation is ongoing...it will not be complete anytime soon. But with daily time spent pondering God's Word, praying for a new heart and mind, and trying to listen for the Holy Spirit's gentle nudges, the renovation seems to be progressing. Little by little, He's changing me. Some day, I hope to be able to say as Paul does, "We, however, have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Life Steps: Can you identify some of your negative thoughts or beliefs? See if you can find a Scripture quote that will help you renovate your mind and heart. For example, I often think to myself, "I can't do this." My renovated thought is "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Phillipians 4:13)
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