A Renewed Mind

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,

But be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

--Romans 12:2

Watching the news, listening to gossip or negative talk of any kind, or replaying one's own negative self-talk can bring the mind to a halt in terms of growth...expansion. The goal of the mind is to expand...to open up. The world view can be small. It can be closed. Pain and suffering. Wars and bad economies. Lies and deceit. These so-called realities aren't the only possibilities for this world.

Gandhi once said that we must be the change we wish to see in the world. If this is true, then the world will surely reflect the thoughts of the mind. The daily renderings of a powerful instrument within the human body that can take a mere notion and turn it into a reality over time.

Responsibility. This is what is needed when it comes to changing the world...shaping it to encompass every positive and good thing that we can muster. While we may do things externally to help change the world, the most precious thing we could ever do is renew our individual minds. This isn't just a concept brought to all by the New Age community; this is a message that has been here since the beginning of all things and will continue to be here.

Some call it positive thinking. While others may call it positive affirmations. There are many ways to renew the mind. It is based purely on one's personal preference. But the bottom line is that a transformation of the mind is significant to the renewing of the Self and to the renewing of the world.

The goal is to shape the world without allowing the world to shape us. We do this with the mind more so than other part of us. What's in the heart and in the Spirit finds its way to the mind eventually, so it is there (the mind) where change begins.

You do not have to believe a word of what I'm saying - just observe your life. Observe the world. Think about the thoughts you keep. Observe them. Watch them like a movie. See where those thoughts take your life's experiences. It's an amazing thing to witness.

Is positive thinking another form of lying to one's self? No, it isn't lying. The lies are the many negative thoughts developing and growing in the mind on a regular basis.

"I'm ugly. I'm fat. I hate myself. I hate you. There's no way I could ever be successful doing that. The economy is bad so I won't be able to buy new clothes this year."

Dwelling on negative thoughts breed negative experiences. This is a fact, which is even supported by scientific studies of the human mind and its effect on one's experiences. I highly recommend you watch the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know? This illustrates the scientific evidence and the spiritual evidence of how the mind is key to what we experience in life and the world.

Will the renewing of the mind be an overnight success? No, it will not. It's taken many years to shape the mind into something negative, it will take time for the mind to shape into an instrument of positive energy. The good thing is positive is stronger than negative, so it won't take as long to get one's self into a positive place. The key here is to maintain positive energy. It's a daily thing like taking a shower, eating breakfast, exercising, going to work, and so on.

Let it be known that a renewed mind is a powerful instrument that can possibly shape the world into Heaven on earth, if we dare.

　And on and on and on and on and on...