Sisters in Christ,
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
Has anyone else been feeling a little ‘stuck’ lately? Stuck in the house? Stuck in our situations, stuck in our masks, stuck with our kids or our roommates? How about feeling stuck in other things, like stuck in our bad habits or our guilt, stuck in our shame, stuck in our unforgiveness? Well maybe this isn’t what God intended for his children.
Have you ever heard of a transformation Tuesday? It’s this big thing on social media where people talk about their before and after, and many times these posts are based on how someone has reshaped their body through fitness and eating habits. At first glance, it might seem like this has been an overnight phenomenon, but looking deeper at their stories, we find that this transformation may have taken weeks, months, or even years. After the first commitment to a new way of life, it was then through many small steps and gradual changes that such amazing results could be seen in them.
The renewal of our mind starts with small, yet purposed changes that contribute to big transformation. It’s little steps of daily habits: remembering Who we serve and belong to, declaring Who God is, thanking Him in all things (not just the good things), these truly transform our minds. Simple habits of surrender, humble requests, and acknowledgment of our weakness to the One who meets every single need… it’s in these we are renewed right where we are. When we are feeling ‘stuck’, we pray to the One that hears and answers. He is the One that changes our hearts and transforms our minds into those of gratitude, power, trust, surrender, assurance, and blessed confidence.
Let’s take some time to look back at the spiritual “transformation Tuesday” of our own lives: how God has taken us from death into life, from lost to found, from orphans to adopted children of the Almighty King of kings. It’s all by His Grace, and it has already been accomplished. All we need is to hold faith in Him, and draw near to Him as Lord of our lives while He transforms us. I pray that we take daily, small, purposed steps towards Christ this month by praising Him, thanking Him, and surrendering our everything (even the ‘stuck’ feelings) to Him.
One of the sweetest things about Romans 12:2 is that through this renewing and transformation of our minds, we can more clearly test and discern the very will of God! This is not testing in the sense that we’re challenging God and His ways, but that as daughters we know and follow our Father’s good and perfect heart. Living as daughters in this way allows us to run from the ways of the world, and into the goodness of our Heavenly Father.
In His grace,
Jaime Angel