Between senioritis, missing my family and graduation looming on the horizon, there are many days my head feels like it’s full of fireworks. Fear, anxiety and discouragement settle in my brain like the smoky metal particles that burst from Roman candles and sparklers.
However, God never seems to care whether or not I feel prepared to take on a challenge He’s placed on my heart. He seems to choose the seasons where I feel the weakest. I’ve noticed a trend at this point.
My mind has always been an unruly beast that can demoralize and dishearten me instantly. I’ve struggled with self-esteem for as long as I can remember, and my thought life has never been a source of strength for me.
When the Lord began leading me to verses that talked about the mind of Christ, I tried to ignore Him.
How on earth would I ever be able to control the wild nature of my thoughts? I couldn’t even think about the task for very long without feeling an overwhelming rush of panic and shame.
Surely God doesn’t expect me to begin this monstrously large endeavor during some of the hardest weeks of my life?
I tried my best to avoid his challenge, but the Lord has a way of hounding my heart until I finally give in.
One book that immediately caught my eye was T.W. Hunt’s “The Mind of Christ: The Transforming Power Of Thinking His Thoughts.” In the first chapter, Hunt immediately asked a question that made me uncomfortable.
How would you feel if all of your thoughts were visible or audible to those around you?
Hunt drew my attention to the fact that “we unconsciously assume that our outer, physical, visible actions are going to be the basis for our judgment. In the Bible though, God places the emphasis on the inner, invisible actions of the mind.”
The thought of God being privy to my innermost wonderings filled me with humiliation. The number of times I’ve daydreamed about outlandish things is quite embarrassing.
Yet the Lord never stops calling us to lay down our burdens (such as our minds) and take up our crosses alongside him. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul urges us to “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Aligning our will with God’s is painful but also incredibly freeing. This act liberates our minds from selfish desires and helps us live open-handed, no longer clinging to the illusion of control. If we want the mind of Christ, we must open ourselves up to renewal daily.
Another facet of the mind of Christ is the pursuit of unity.
Philippians 2:1-8 spells out the importance of unity, saying “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
If we want the mind of Christ, we must be willing to lay our personal opinions and preferences aside at times in order to love others well. Jesus’s example should inspire us to labor for unity.
The mind of Christ is also centered on joy and peace.
In Philippians 4:4-8, Paul says “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
If we want the mind of Christ, praise should always be on our lips. Our God is always worthy of worship through the good and the bad seasons.
So how can put on the mind of Christ and implement it into our everyday lives?
I’m still trying to figure that out myself.
However, I know that I can’t get frustrated with myself or be discouraged when my thoughts run wild. As a living sacrifice, every bit of me belongs to the Lord. He is aware of my weaknesses but still calls me His child and asks me to surrender my will to Him so that my mind can be renewed daily.
I also know I need to be obedient and pursue unity with others as best as I can. We are God’s hands and feet on earth charged to continue Christ’s work as peacemakers.
Lastly, I know that praise is my saving grace. No matter how hard my circumstances are, Jesus’s death on the cross is enough of a reason to worship.