Our minds truly are so amazing, to even compare them to
the most super-advanced-computer is lacking…
Our minds are so powerful they can impact our whole
lives…
I have found our perception and attitude can totally
change the way we experience LIFE…
Do you know what I mean?
For example, two different people can go through the same difficult challenge together, yet handle it differently…one in their distress trusting The Lord to make a way, praying, continuing to hope and remaining calm…the other becoming angry at God, not speaking to Him, having explosive outbursts and becoming exhausted from straining in their own strength…
I acknowledge we are all different people…yet for those of us who are Christians
we should be growing to become more like Christ…this is a real part of our faith...our minds SHOULD be continually
being transformed to be MORE LIKE HIS!
We are made in God’s image, and it makes my jaw drop to
even try and comprehend how awesome He is…He is so much more than I can imagine
from my limited human understanding! Yet, even though we are made in His image
and are incredibly intelligent, we are still not God and we therefore need HIM
to work in us for mental-wellbeing.
Yes, medication can help, yet we still need
God for true, complete holistic healing and this can take time, for as Christians we
GROW to be more like Christ continually…this is a continuing process which sometimes
has growth spurts and quiet winters.
I want to share with you that I am saying all this as someone who knows what mental illness is like...I know what it’s like to struggle with unhelpful thoughts.
Yet I also know how powerful God is and therefore how
important it is to let our thoughts be captive to Christ, as recommended in 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5.
Both Romans 12: 1-2 and Ephesians 4: 17-24 speak of our
minds being renewed so that we can live life God’s way…
I’m NOT afraid to say it is only staying close to Christ daily through a devoted life filled with prayer and scripture reading that we can continually be transformed…I don’t care if people want to say I am a JESUS FREAK, old fashioned or legalistic…I am not here to please people rather speak the TRUTH (Galatians 1:10 and Acts 5:29)…the world’s activities will not strengthen us in Christ, rather they actually deplete us.
Jesus said that we MUST abide in Him to be able to do
anything for Him, see John 15: 1-11 and when our thoughts are captive to Him we
then can know God’s will as specified in Romans 12: 1-2…
In John 15, after Jesus teaches about abiding in Him to
bear fruit as His disciples, He goes on to say that we are to LOVE ONE ANOTHER –
and to lay down our lives for one another! See John 15.
I’m
NOT proclaiming a WORKS doctrine above grace. But I would like to say that
Jesus knows what is best for us and does ask us to put our faith into
action. I also want to testify to how He
has been transforming my mind over the years to LOVE others more and how by doing
this my mental health has been affected in a positive HUGE way…
Jesus did teach about how we should be found when He
returns, you can read some of it here; Luke 12: 35-48; 21: 34-36; Matthew 24: 36-51.
So I ask you, if today was your last day how would you
spend it? What if you viewed each day as
an opportunity, as a disciple of Jesus to LOVE, how would that change your
life?
What if instead of thinking negative thoughts like…(I’m NOT good enough…my life sucks…I always fail…what’s the point those people are just hypocrites…Oh Jesus just come back and take me out of my misery…I have nothing to live for, no-one to share my life with…) We changed our focus to – I am saved by God’s grace, there is nothing I can do to change this, but in response to His free-gift I want to be found LOVING as His disciple when He returns or I am called home?
What if we let Him transform our minds daily to be more like His (some days will be harder than others)? What if we prayed and read scripture more in
solitude with Him? What if we didn’t
strive to do good deeds…rather we let Him transform our mind daily to reveal to us
how we can show others His LOVE?
What if
we did LESS better?
What if we focused
upon impacting the individuals in our lives with His LOVE?
What
if we had the mind of Christ more often?
In His love, Melanie J
3 comments:
Thank you for sharing this here! I think that when I was younger, I just thought that "mature Christians" had some secret sauce that I just didn't get. Now I realize that what it involves is moment by moment laying down of self to pick up where Christ would have us. Your transparency here is an encouragement to others!
Thanks Julie - love the 'secret sauce' idea...we can come up with some truly weird ideas can't we? But yes, we must continually lay ourselves down, being dead to our flesh and following His voice...that's maturity. Melanie :)
Powerful words, Melanie. May we all walk in the light, as He is in the light...
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