Conformed or Transformed?

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
(ROMANS 12:2A)

Thought for the Day: I knew I couldn’t be transformed unless I refused to conform.

If you want to be a sold-out somebody for God, you have to break away from the everybody crowd.

This is not easy for a girl like me who wanted nothing more growing up than to fit in. Don’t cause waves. Don’t stand out. Don’t stand up. Don’t rock the boat in any way. Just go with the flow. But somewhere along my Christian journey, going with the flow started to bother me.

Verses like Romans 12:2a messed with my status-quo existence: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

I knew I couldn’t be transformed unless I refused to conform. Believe it or not, my getting-healthy plan is also part of my transformation — my breaking away from the everybody crowd.

Eating healthy and relying on God’s strength to do it is counter-cultural. Your friends might not understand when you don’t accept the homemade dessert even when you decline it with the utmost grace. Your kids, and even your spouse, might not understand why you no longer bring home the super-large ice cream container for family treats. The secular world will never admire your reliance on God rather than self for strength and self-control.

If your church is anything like mine, you will even be called to live counter to the typical Christian food culture in which everything served is drizzled, fried, glazed, cream filled, or chocolate covered. And while I treasure the love that’s put into every act of hospitality, it’s tough when your drug of choice is offered at the weekly Bible study. Really tough.

Diet-defeating tough. That’s why this can’t be a shortcut diet. Short-term sacrifices will lead to short-term results. I love how The Message paraphrase puts it: “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do” (Matthew 7:13 – 14a MSG). Shortcuts don’t work with God or with food.

Every time I make a choice I have to ask myself, “Am I being conformed, looking a lot like the crowd and staying stuck in defeat? Or, am I transformed, breaking away from the vicious cycle of defeat by courageously saying no? No more. No thank you.”

Good questions to ask myself. Good questions to ponder.

This is not just a diet. This is not just another quest to get thin. This is a spiritual journey that will yield great physical benefits and subtly reject the decadent culture of this world. It is not easy, but it is good.

Dear Lord, please help me to make my healthy eating a purely spiritual journey. I want to break old habits, old addictions, and old ways for good. I need Your guidance and Your strength to help me through each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.