Romans 12:2
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.
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.
God has plans for us. I was reminded of that this morning as I made my way online to Bible Gateway to look up a scripture I had in mind for today’s devotion. As the site popped up before me, the scripture verse above was already there for the reading. It struck me because it crept right into my heart as assurance of the things our Goldendoodle Izzie and I have been contemplating hard today. (While Izzie is amazing, she cannot read, however she is an expert at providing support. ♥️)
I went to sleep last night with big questions for God and my mind was engaged in maximum gear to try to discern God’s intent. The best thing about this experience – the minute I began to talk to God, my heart was calm. Can you be peaceful yet troubled at the same time? I guess so, because I was.
I awoke this morning, got some courage from Izzie, and sought out God, presenting some of the same questions still niggling from the night before. My mind and heart were both at work praying and talking with God; hoping to know my God better so I can grow and serve Him in His way.
For one thing, I wanted to know if it was indeed right to want to use my mind and continually push to stretch it to learn and understand more of God’s will for me and to work and read and extend myself beyond what I thought were the limits, to understand how God is at work in this crazy, sad, sometimes hurtful, often mean fractured world we face today.
Am I supposed to do this difficult thing by continually engaging in desiring to learn and grow? Am I? Or am I supposed to sit and simply believe in God and call it quits? Izzie raised her beautiful eyes to me as if to say, has this all been resolved? I told her that we were sitting at a crossroads today, and I was almost going to relinquish the choice of path to her sometimes very able nose. After all, she is a beautiful companion to our whole family in life. She is beyond well loved!
Just let the dog decide, my mind faintly urged – just putting it out on the table. Was that where I was? Not to dismiss Izzie, but had I done that as an easy way out, we might have just ended up tracking a mole in our backyard. I smile and chuckle because I suspect this devotion would have then been very different and I would maybe have had a much more difficult time writing it.
So, alas, I let Izzie return to her nap and I headed to Bible Gateway and there was an answer to one of my questions on the opening screen. I didn’t even have to search. I picture Joan Turner lifting her finger and waggling it before me to pack her statement with emphasis, “See, again, God is always in it (meaning everything). You may not think so, but, ah, he is always in it.”
And indeed he is. Look at that verse from Romans! Clearly we aren’t supposed to just conform to this world! NO! And my heart begins to sing a bit. And the next bit of scripture clearly tells me I am supposed to use my mind. I am meant to think and dive deep and ask questions. In fact, God calls us to that very place in life where we work ourselves hard to understand and be instep with His wonderful, amazing, always mysterious ways! How ever are we going to discern His will if we don’t bring it to the table?
I will tell you, it is not always served up to you on a plate with the ringing of the dinner bell or hearing the excruciatingly loud whistle of your dad (my dad) calling you home from hither and yon to be fed. (An occurrence which often happened when we lived in the Goodrich parsonage.) We ran home hard because you didn’t want to hear that whistle twice.
And a new memory of my dad suddenly comes to me – and here my dad would sometimes pause for some time at the pulpit on a Sunday morning and then would eventually say, “I’ve just had a new thought about the scripture today. I’m going to share it with you.” He would then go off script and share his new thought.
I am going off script now straying from where I intended to go (you didn’t see my long pause as something occurred to me) and I believe I have my father’s blessing to do this. Yes, as kids, we ran home hard, we put ourselves to work, to get home to be fed. We were young, our parents fed us. I sit here and think about this memory of my father which popped into my head unbidden and I think of the latter part of the scripture above.
I was but a young child and understood but childish things. That was just a whistle to be heeded or else. Now I am an adult and my parents are no longer calling me home by whistle to be fed. I am an adult, and while I don’t think it wise in building your faith life to leave all childish things behind, I realize – maybe with a good dose of poignancy – I am an adult and I must now come home to feed myself regularly and often.
And just as my dad used his mind to bring messages to his congregations for well over 40 years, I too, will follow the passage from Romans and know that God intends for me to use my mind often and with good and noble intent to grow in discipleship and to discern the will of God in my life. It is all that is hopeful; it is God’s dearest wish for us to bend toward Him to learn His ways and hear of the plans he has for you and me; it is all that gives me a sense of calm. Small things, that can change a big world.
Do you hear a whistle coming to you on the wind? Or perhaps it is a sound that speaks to you more personally of childish things. Use your mind! It may be God calling you home to the feast he has prepared for you. You don’t want to be late.
Thank you Dad, Mom, Joan Turner, Jo Ann Miska, one of my mother’s oldest and dearest friends who was actually more than a friend, whom I spoke to at length and with depth yesterday, Shannon Byard who mentioned in a recent conversation of her love of learning; you all in your own ways have served to strengthen me. All of God’s messengers, thank you. I say to you all, come and be fed. My dad never allowed hats at the table but our Father God may just excuse us if we put our thinking caps on before we come to His table. 
Let’s begin with grace:
My mom’s sister, our Aunt Helen used a piece of scripture verse often as our table grace. En famille we call it Aunt Helen’s Prayer. In my mind’s eye I can envision our family around her table, heads bowed, hands clasped. Let’s come before the Lord: “Whether we eat or drink or whatsoever we do, may we do all to the glory of God. Amen.”
My mom’s sister, our Aunt Helen used a piece of scripture verse often as our table grace. En famille we call it Aunt Helen’s Prayer. In my mind’s eye I can envision our family around her table, heads bowed, hands clasped. Let’s come before the Lord: “Whether we eat or drink or whatsoever we do, may we do all to the glory of God. Amen.”
We all may need to think on that just like the Romans were encouraged to do.
~Shauna Weil
A devotion provided by the GUMC devotion ministry.
A devotion provided by the GUMC devotion ministry.