Spring Renewal

“You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self…” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Winter is a challenging season for me.  Cold weather and shorter days affect me physically and mentally.  I am always quite ready for the first signs of spring. The world becomes fresh and new as the cold, brown deadness of winter sprouts into the warm, green aliveness of spring.

Just as springtime brings hope to the earth, this verse brings hope to my soul. My old nature is controlled by many deceitful desires including envy, self-pity, anger, and despair. I am to be made new “in the attitude of my mind”. My mind is sometimes a greater enemy than my body. My mind dwells on past abilities and judgmental attitudes towards others. My mind tells me God is not always good or faithful. My mind says this painful life is too difficult to bear.

I need to renew my mind. God will give me the strength to do this, but it takes willing effort on my part as well. I must constantly monitor my thoughts, evaluating not only where they are coming from but where they are leading me. If they are not Scriptural I need to put them from my mind rather than dwelling on them, allowing them to pull me in a wrong direction.

God’s word says that the mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6). I want life and peace. I want renewal.  When I see flowers blooming and grass growing, I want to remember that as a new creature in Christ, my old ways of thinking can be replaced with the new. Spring can happen within me as well as around me.

Prayer: O God, as You fill the earth with the freshness of Your beauty, fill my mind with the freshness of Your thoughts. By Your power may I be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Amen.