4 Things You Can't Do...

Recently, we invited a personal trainer to our EQUIP night to talk to our leaders around the theme of 'pursuing a passion for life.'  While speaking about health and nutrition he quoted the well known saying in the fitness industry:

"You can't out-train a bad diet"

This saying resonated strongly with me as I am currently readjusting some lifestyle habits that have allowed bad diet to sabotage my exercise routine.  As a keen cyclist I have lulled myself into a false sense of security to think that the number of kilometres I ride each week will balance out some unhealthy eating habits that have crept back into my lifestyle.  The problem is the kilojoules have exceeded the kilometres and you don't need to be a fitness expert to figure out the consequences.

Interestingly enough, while out riding my bike, I have been thinking a lot about the broader application of the principle contained within this saying to other areas of life...

"You can't out-perform a wrong attitude"

Leadership involves many actions, which are all in vain if accompanied by a wrong attitude.  Our activity reflects what we do, but our attitude reflects who we are.  Both our actions and attitude need to be in harmony to have maximum impact and influence.  The defining difference between two organisations, businesses, employees or volunteers who perform similar actions, more often than not, is attitude.  According to John Maxwell, leadership author and coach, "A leader's attitude is caught by his or her followers more quickly than his or her actions." 

"You can't out-love a divided heart"

Jesus once said, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other."  While the context of this wisdom is our relationship with money, it's truth applies to any relationship that requires total devotion of the heart.  Scripture commands us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind," and the marriage vows calls a couple to "forsake all others" and "be faithful...as long as you both shall live."  Whether it is the covenant between God and His people or husband and wife, no outward expression of love can compensate for a divided heart.

"You can't out-smart an undisciplined mind"

You have heard it said that "you are what you eat."  It is equally true that "you are what you think."  In an age of instant information and constant visual stimulation, our minds are daily bombarded by a smorgasbord of messages.  These messages are powerful and shape the way we see ourselves, each other and the world around us.  If we are not disciplined in what we choose to fill our minds, our thinking and behaviour will become captive to the dominant influences in our lives.  It is any wonder that the Apostle Paul wrote, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

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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. -  Philippians 4:8

You have heard it said, "You are what you eat."  Well, the same is true for what you think. Your thought life is like fuel that drives the engine of your beliefs and behaviours.  You put bad fuel in and you run the risk of 'engine problems' by distorting what you believe about yourself and damaging the way you behave towards others.  I once heard a youth worker say, "You take normal kids and fill their minds with abnormal ideas, you will produce abnormal behaviour."  While this sounds obvious, it is extraordinary how many people do not make the connection between the way they feel and the stuff they feed their minds.  It is no surprise then that the Bible speaks so much about renewing our minds and guarding our hearts.  If you want to change the way you think, you need to be selective in what you will allow to fill your mind.

What's On Your Mind?

As an avid user of social media, I am daily asked the question on my Facebook page, "What's on your mind?"  A question that invites me and 1.11 billion other Facebook users worldwide to share with the international community what we are thinking, feeling or doing at any given moment by updating our "status." Whether it be via Facebook, Twitter or Blogging, the internet provides a very public forum to share our thoughts with anyone who is interested.  

Our mind is a laboratory of values, beliefs and attitudes that combine and contribute to the very thoughts that are so openly shared on social media.  From the flippant to the informative, our thoughts reveal much about who we are and what we care about.  It is any wonder we find so much written in Scripture about our thought life and the importance of nurturing the way we use our minds:

"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."  (Romans 12:2) 

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  (Philippians 4:8) 

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."  (2 Corinthians 10:5)

You have heard it said, "you are what you eat," well it is also true that you are what you think.  Given the nature and diversity of some thoughts expressed through social media, it would suggest that maybe there is an unhealthy balance of what is fed into the minds of those expressing their thoughts.  Far from intending to be judgmental of what makes other people think, it's hard to avoid noticing the obvious.  When "what's on your mind" manifests into indiscriminately negative or destructive comments for the world to see, the biblical call for the renewal of your mind is worthy of consideration.  

As a person of faith I embrace the Apostle Paul's call to "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5) so that His thoughts might become my thoughts, that I might imitate the humility of Christ in my thoughts, words and actions.  The climate of social media would have a very different tone if such a mindset was captured every time you shared "what's on your mind."  Just a thought.

What Are You Reflecting?

"In our community it is so easy to focus on the tragedies.  God wants us to be a mirror of Christ to the world so that when they look at the Church they see Jesus.  When they look at the Church they see the solution not the problem."  (Dr. Robi Sonderegger)

Everytime we turn on the TV, open a newspaper or surf the internet we are confronted with a perpetual reminder of the brokeness of this world.  With such a saturation of bad news it is easy to be overwhelmed by the tragedies of the world and to allow all that is wrong in the world to dominate our thinking.  Clinical pyschologist Robi Sonderegger asserts that "whatever you focus your attention on you get more of," which supports the Apostle Paul's call to the Roman Christians to "be transformed by the renewing of the mind" (Rom 12:2) and to the Philippian church to change the focus of their thinking to all that which is good (Phil 4:8).  

Far from being a denial of reality or a new form of 'positive thinking' theology, it is a recognition of the truth that to a large extent we are what we think!  

As a redeemed people of God we possess the knowledge of the good news of Jesus Christ which has the power to transform our lives. If this life changing knowledge of God dominated our thinking instead of the evil of this world, then maybe our view of ourselves and the world would shift from brokenness to wholeness.  Maybe we would project an image of hope rather than perpetuate an image of despair.  Alter the image and the reflection will change.

Imagine if the Church turned its eyes upon Jesus and reflected His character to the world, so that when the world looked at the Church they really would "see the solution not the problem!"