In my first post, I wrote that once I decided that I wanted to work on becoming a better version of myself that I prayed to God and after that a certain phrase has come to mind and has been lodged there. That phrase was to become unrecognizably different.
When I think about that phrase I think about changing so dramatically that people who know me will exclaim, Wow, I hardly recognized you because of something that I’ve done that was out of character for me. Or that I’ve improved my health or body or was more polite than typically.
I began to study in the Bible how in the world a person can make this sort of transformation. And this is 3 points that I have found.
1. There is only ONE way to become unrecognizably different and that’s by renewing the mind
Romans 12:2 talks about how that transformation (like a catepillar to a butterfly type change) only comes by a complete renovation of how we think. If you ponder it, every thing we do, every attitude we have and our approach to life comes completely to how we think. Our backgrounds play a significant part in why we do the things we do and how they affects our worldview.
We cannot make a long term change without changing our perspective and outlook on a thing. You will never get a person to keep exercising if they don’t have the mindset that exercise is important. You will never get a person to be kind to their spouse if they don’t have the approach that marriage and relationships are valuable. You can get them to begin to change, but it will never stick.
I know this is true because every year a great deal of people make New Years Resolutions only to have over 60% of those same people still going at it by March. The other 40% are likely to have fallen off by June. Is it because every person lacks discipline. Some. But the majority is because they don’t think any differently before they start.
The word “resolution” can be defined as going from a point of dissonance to consonance. Or in simpler terms, having harmony between what you think and what you actually do. This is why people’s New Year’s Resolutions tend to fail. Their minds never change.
2. Learn and Live The Love of God and The Fruit of the Spirit
When this came to me as one of the ways to completely change I was a little skeptical on how focusing on this area could make so much of a difference. But as I delved more into it, I realized that developing in the Love of God and conducting letting the Fruit of the Spirit work and me work it in my life was the answer for EVERYTHING. (You can find those in 1st Corinthian 13 and Galatians 5)
How in the world can walking in love and the fruit of the spirit help me when I don’t feel like going to the gym. FAITHFULNESS is one of the fruit of the spirit. I can go on and on with this topic but for sake of time I won’t. If you ever see me on the street just ask me and we will chat.
3, Continue
The key to success in any venture is just to keep at it. And don’t stop. If you stop you’ll atrophy in that area. You’ll get weaker and your change won’t be solid.
- d