Dr. Mel Tavares (C) 2024
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2 (NAS)
Spring cleaning and renewal is in full swing in my house. My mind is overrun with ideas I’ve seen and saved on Pinterest. There is no possible way to accomplish all that I have in my mind. Rooms to paint, floors to refinish, and cabinets to polish. Seedlings to start, gardens to till, rows to plant. That leads me to thinking about painting the old carriage house, which would look amazing painted red with a beautiful American flag on the side of it. My mind quickly scurries to the topic of flags and I remember I need a new one for the front porch. Right! The front porch! Furniture to scrub, new cushions to purchase…oh! I’ve been meaning to do a DIY pallet project for the porch. You get the gist, right? These are all activities that would serve to renew and transform my home this spring.
Spiritual transformation begins in our minds. Renewing our minds is a command we are given as a means of transformation in our personal lives and walk with Christ. Just as there are many steps we can take to renew and transform our homes, there are many steps we can take to spring clean and renew our minds.
Taking a quick inventory will reveal any debris and clutter that has accumulated over the past few months. Perhaps the current events have grabbed your attention and are weighing you down. It is possible negative thoughts have crept in and are causing distractions, doubt, or even despair. At times, we all repeat mental monologues that are little more than self-defeating babble.
It would serve us well to take time to spring clean our minds. Simplistically put, we need to intentionally refocus on the Lord and all He has done for us. Our minds are renewed when we come to Him in prayer and ask Him to cleanse and guard our minds and hearts from the things of this world.
Left to itself, our mind will naturally gravitate away from the positives and back to the negatives. We can control our thoughts, despite the enemy of our soul trying to deceive us into thinking otherwise. Philippians 4:6 reminds us to think on things that are pure, lovely, and noble. Reading Scriptures is a great way to think on the pure and lovely things, as is listening to worship music.
Remember that where our mind goes, our lives will follow. Just as my mind followed a path of thoughts of rooms and porches and steps to take to renew my home, my mind can follow a positive path and my life will follow as my passions and purpose are refreshed in the newness of spring.
Lord, thank you for your Word, which renews my mind, clearing out the cobwebs and debris left in the wake of sometimes getting caught up in the things of this world. I ask that you help me to stay focused on you and all that is pure and lovely.
Comments