Everybody thinks of changing the world and no one thinks of changing themselves. -Tolstoy
I don’t want to change the world I just want to change your mind. – Squad Five-O
Tolstoy, the 19th century Russian author of War and Peace. Squad Five-O the late ‘90s punk band from Georgia. I don’t know if they appeal to the same circles, but they both hit on a topic that is near and dear to most of us. We live with this idea, “I am right, and if everyone would just agree with me then the world would be such a better place.”
One of the hardest things about accepting the call of Christ is embracing the idea that we are not perfect. This flies in the face of how the world tells us to portray ourselves. We applaud and celebrate people who show vulnerability; it is seen as courageous because it is so rare.
For most of us and the world as a whole, the goal has always been to get our own way. But when we hear the call to be different, we can admit to God, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, your ways are not my ways.”
Paul in Romans 12:2-3 says it this way, “2 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. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of themself more highly than they ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
The world always wants us to take the easy path. And it is always tempting to do that. We need to remember we only get stronger when we get challenged. Take the challenge of changing your own mind. When you find the strength to change your mind you just might find that the world around you has also changed.