New Beginnings - a renewal to a more Christ-like way of thinking

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Romans 12:12, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

I love this passage because it symbolizes my transformation journey from the misguided, lost, uncertain, and worldly Opal to the healthier, sober, free child of God I am today.  It is a powerful story because my transformation began with my mind's renewal to a more Christ-like way of thinking.  Every time I hear or read this passage, I am reminded of where I came from, and it allows me yet another opportunity to thank God with deep gratitude for renewing my mind.  All these years later, this renewal has shaped me so powerfully, and I have been able to stay the course with God through all of the happy times, goals accomplished, and the work I do.  But also, there has been renewal through the more challenging, sometimes heart-breaking experiences.  The Opal I was before my renewal would not have been successful through such things.

One thing that I have been unaware of over the past 11 years since giving my life to Christ is that this passage is not meant to serve as a one-time deal.  I knew and welcomed the truth that we are constantly growing and learning in life, but I didn't realize that a RENEWING of the mind would appear in my life as many times as God needs me to. This is a passage saying that one time is not how this works. That is a REVOLVING way of life. As we grow, learn, and continue to live the will of God, we will also be REQUIRED to renew our minds more than once.

I recently took a 3-month leave of absence from work to focus on crucial matters in my life that were bigger than my ability to work and resolve personal issues simultaneously. Thank God for FMLA; its purpose served me well.  In this time away, as I focused on these areas demanding my attention, I found myself in yet another deeply powerful, God-led time of renewing my mind.  It is a time to shed the old self and release the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors attached to this old self so that I can transform into a new thinking, feeling, being, and doing that is better than the last!  No complaints from me!  I will gladly participate!

Upon my return to work, still fresh in this renewing, and as I started to meet with some of the men I worked with before my leave, I noticed a common denominator between them: they had and were growing!  They were not the same men I had known before my temporary absence.  They, too, are in a period of transformation from the worldly way of life and are now walking in their journey to transforming and renewing their minds!  And to know that most likely, as I had just learned, it would not be the last time they would experience this brought me joy.  Oh, how blessed they are, and don't even see it yet!  There is beauty in seeing how the Lord is working in these men and how the men choose to follow Him, most without realizing they made this choice.  To witness this is an amazing experience!  Every day, little by little, they are shedding the old self and the old harmful thought processes.  They are learning to lower their need to guard their hearts through self-preservation, a coping mechanism to survive the various stressors and unhealthy and unsafe experiences as the triggers of life.  Instead, they are choosing to wear God's armor, renew their mind, and restore their life. Thank God they are with us as they make the first, sometimes small and sometimes gigantic, leaps of renewal and transformation.  We are grateful to be living examples and chosen by God to help guide each of these men in their journey.  I can't wait to see how another moment of Romans 12:12 plays out for these guys.  Will this passage occur for some through marriage, getting their GED or college degree,  maybe opening their own business, or simply setting a goal and accomplishing what they said they would?

In conclusion, there is beauty in transforming and renewing our minds.  It is a process that is not a onetime deal, but that comes and goes as we grow and mature in our life's walk.  So, continue the course until it is finished so that you may grow with God as He has designed for you.  What might have been a difficult passage for me to understand, Rom 12:12, has become one of the clearest passages in the Bible for me now, simply through experience.  Let no one minimize the results of renewal and transformation or the power that comes with it at whatever stage of your journey.  It is a sign of maturing in your walk with the Lord, and it is the action of peeling the layers of your "onion" to reveal more of who you are now.  Let it symbolize a reward from God. He tells us we can be trusted with more responsibility, including more of ourselves. This is a TRANSFORMATION that is awesome!

-Opal Hatfield