by May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but caring for our mental health is something that we can do all year long. In working toward wholeness in our mental health, the change process can be a helpful tool in getting us to where we want to go.
As I’ve worked with people navigating the change process, I’ve noticed that our inner attitudes and paradigms toward change greatly affect the success of the change we want to see. The change we choose to make is important; however, the context of the change is even more important. What paradigms are we operating under? What’s driving the change itself? So many of us are working toward crucial developments in ourselves. Our hearts are driven by the laudable goal of being more effective in our communities and neighborhoods.
I invite you to reflect on a few Scripturally sound shifts we can make to create more stabilized change to undergird our work.
Shift #1 From Ideologies to Paths
Psalm 16:11 states that God will “make known to us the path of life.”
When I think of a path, I think of hiking a trail in the state park near my house or going for a walk with my kids in our local park. I think of movement, embodiment, and action; getting out and doing something. I believe that too many of us get caught up in the “ideologies” of change. Our tendency is to think about a lot of stuff. We have trouble turning all that thought into something we can actually practice.
For many of us, myself included (blame it on my German ancestors), our paradigm on most subjects was primarily centered on believing the right stuff. However, as I’ve worked with folks in the midst of difficult changes, I’ve come to realize that the practices we cultivate in the direction of the change we’re making seem to matter even more than what we believe about that change. Beliefs are definitely important, and they can shape how we move forward, but what actually forms and shapes us are the paths we walk.
Shift #2 From Behavior Modification to Metanoia
Metanoia is a Greek word which loosely means “to change one’s mind,” and is the word that Bible translators typically use for the word “repent.” One example is in Matthew 3:2, where Jesus is calling crowds to “repent (metanoia), for the Kingdom of God is near.” I don’t know about you, but when I hear that word “repent,” my mind often thinks about what “bad behaviors” I’m doing, and how I need to “make a 180 degree turn” to some more virtuous behaviors. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s likely that some of our behaviors do need to change; however, metanoia isn’t referring to behavior change; it’s talking about a change “in our mind.”
The image of changing one’s mind reminds me of passages like 1 Corinthians 2:16, in which Paul talks about those who walk Jesus’ path having the “mind of Christ.” Or the famous Romans 12:2, where Paul directs us to “be transformed by the renewing of our mind.” All of this seems to indicate that our behavior change is drawn up from the deep waters of the transformation that occurs through following Jesus’ way. So, we don’t have to sweat so much when trying to change; we need to lean in and trust Christ through the work of surrender.
Shift #3 From Condemnation to Compassion
As I’ve observed others’ and my own change, I’ve come to realize that we can’t be the protagonist and the antagonist of our own story. Let me explain. If I am the one trying to create change in my life, then I can’t also be the one sabotaging that change from the inside. Romans 8:1 reads that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” which I believe frees us to shift our view of ourselves toward compassion.
Compassion comes from the Latin words meaning “to suffer with,” so to have compassion on ourselves means to suffer with ourselves. In my experience, most CCDA folks have no trouble having compassion on others, yet we can be our own biggest critics. I believe shifting toward compassion simply means affirming in ourselves what Christ says he sees in us: worthiness.
Worthiness isn’t the same as grandiosity, and it’s not having an overblown view of our sense of self. It’s about humility—the root word of humility is “human”—having an accurate view of both our beauty and our hang-ups.
Most of the shifts I’ve found to be so profound in my own journey and the journeys of others all revolve around recognizing and reorienting around our own humanity. We’re called to be nothing more; nothing less.
May you find a deeper sense of your own humanity as you walk the path with Christ toward wholeness.
About Matt Culler, LPC
Matt Culler is a Licensed Professional Counselor and operates his own private practice, Collective Renewal Counseling. You can usually catch Matt reading a book, drinking good coffee, or spending time with his favorite people. Matt lives with his wife and three kids in Chambersburg, PA. Find Matt on Facebook or Instagram @thecollectiverenewal.
