A Change of Mind

Romans 12:2 — “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

There is something about October in Maine that changes our mindset. It happens almost without our noticing. The shorts disappear, the sweatshirts come out, the furnace gets turned on, and somebody starts reminding us that the time to get the snow tires on is just around the corner. The leaves change, daylight grows shorter, our appetites turn from fresh corn and summer greens to pears, apples, and root vegetables, and before long our thoughts begin turning toward Thanksgiving and Christmas. We know what is coming. We have been here before. The season changes, and we change with it.

It has made me wonder about something much deeper. If we are so willing to change our thinking and our actions because the seasons change, how willing are we to allow God to change the way we think and the way we live? Paul writes, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” There is a tremendous difference between changing our minds and allowing God to renew them. Changing our mind can be as simple as deciding we want something different. The renewing Paul speaks about goes much deeper. It is allowing our relationship with Jesus Christ to change the way we see life itself—and then allowing that new way of seeing to change the way we live.

The longer I walk with Christ, the more I realize surrender is not something that happens once. Every day there seems to be another little corner of my life that God gently points toward and says, “How about that? Will you trust Me with that too?” Maybe it is an old hurt I have carried far too long. Maybe it is the way I see someone with whom I disagree. Maybe it is fear about tomorrow. Maybe it is my need to be right, my impatience, my expectations, or simply the belief that things ought to happen the way I think they should. And then Jesus comes along and begins changing my mind. But He doesn't stop there. When Jesus changes my mind, sooner or later He begins changing my actions too.

Not because everything around me has changed, but because something within me is changing. As we move through October and November, the world around us will change dramatically. Trees that are brilliant with color today will soon stand bare. Warm afternoons will give way to cold mornings. Thanksgiving tables will be prepared, and before we know it Advent will be upon us. Perhaps this changing season can remind us that God is still changing us too.

The Christian life is not simply believing the right things about Jesus. It is surrendering enough of ourselves to Jesus that He begins changing how we think, how we love, how we forgive, how we respond, and even how we see the people around us. And if He changes the way I see the person in front of me, perhaps He will also change the way I treat them. If He changes the way I think about forgiveness, perhaps He will lead me to actually forgive. If He changes the way I think about generosity, perhaps my hands will become a little more open. A renewed mind should eventually find its way into our hands and feet.

Sometimes I wonder whether one of the most faithful prayers we could offer is also one of the simplest: “Lord, change my mind where my mind needs changing.”

That can be a dangerous prayer. Because God just might answer it. He may show me that the person I have written off still deserves grace. He may show me that something I have worried about endlessly really can be placed into His hands. He may remind me that I don't have to win every argument. He may even show me that some things I have been absolutely certain about need another look through the eyes of Jesus. And then He may ask me to do something about what He has shown me.

The leaves will change whether we want them to or not. Winter will come whether we are ready or not.

But the transformation Paul speaks about is different. God invites us into it. He asks us to trust Him enough to surrender not only our lives to Him, but our minds as well. And as our minds are renewed, our lives begin to follow. So perhaps as the seasons change around us, we might ask: Lord, what are You trying to change within me? And how are You asking me to live differently because of it?

And then have enough faith to listen for the answer.