Re-define yourself: One word at a time

Romans 12:2 - Don't copy the behavior and customs 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.

The other day I while I was driving I heard an advertisement for a podcast of a theological teacher I admire. This was the second or third time I heard this particular advertisement and It dawned on me why I was getting so agitated. I heard this woman describe herself as a middle age woman ( in her 50s like me) and then went on to say, "which means my hair is chemically dependent and my favorite pants are stretch pants."

If that is the story we keep putting out there, I want a new story. That's his-story. Not His-story. The thoughts I have shape the way I think and on those thoughts, I act. I learned in my mid-forties, I was living the story of my childhood, which was created and shaped by my parents story which was created by their parents story and so on and so on and so on. A story is filled with words that bring to life characters, worlds, storylines and wonder. Why do we use them so carelessly in our daily living, especially when speaking about ourselves. I am not talking conceit, I am talking respect. I am talking about honor and gratitude for the person God has shaped me to be. I have been hand-crafted by God. Who am I to describe myself in a way that dishonors the Creator of the Universe? It seems like such a small thing, but I have come to learn, little things are not small things and over time it's the small careless words and phrases repeated over and over that become our beliefs. I want to choose better.

I am not old, I am wise.

I do not have wrinkles, I have laugh lines.

I do not have stretch marks, I have children.

I do not have your body, I have my body.

I am not picky, I am deliberate.

I don't have to, I get to.

It's a privilege, not a burden.

It's an honor, not an inconvenience.

Let's select words that enhance our lives, rather than binding us to outdated concepts and beliefs. We believe what we think, and we act on those beliefs. In my experience, achieving a different result requires a change in thinking. It's straightforward, but not easy.