Swim Against The Current

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

I don't have to remind you that ours is a negative, pessimistic society. We live with negativity all around us. All you have to do is turn on the news and you see negative programming, negative journalism, negative events taking place. You see acts of terror and it makes you fearful. You think things are falling apart. Then you look at our country and you ask, "Will inflation ever get under control?" The economy doesn't look as good as it once did. Politicians don't even seem able to get along or function as the legislative branch of government, and then there's the out-of-control spending. You have movies and television that go against your conscience as a Christian, and you wonder, "When are they going to get back to creating movies or shows that are wholesome, instead of pandering to immoral behavior?"

Do you feel the pull toward negativity, even as a Christian?

You may say, "A positive mindset is just pie-in-the-sky thinking. You're not dealing with the harsh reality of this world."

I like what Warren Wiersbe once wrote. He said "Realism is idealism that has been through the fire and is purified, but cynicism is idealism that has been through the fire and gotten burned." 

Here's the temptation for you and me. We look at what is going on today and think, "It's never been as bad as it is today." But there has always been some form of negative environment. The world is the way the world is. Even in New Testament days, the Christian community was the minority, a group of outsiders in culture. That's why Jesus said in John 17:13-19 that we would be in the world but not of the world. Jesus wants us to be world changers, but we should not be changed by this culture.

Imagine water flowing in a single direction. Dead fish are carried downstream, while a living fish can swim upstream. As Christians, we are called to be alive and to shine in dark places, not simply to follow the crowd. Instead of conforming to the world, be transformed through the renewal of your mind. God doesn't want His people swimming downstream with everything that's already dead. He wants us alive, moving against the current, proving to a watching world what His good, acceptable, and perfect will really looks like.

The negativity isn't going anywhere. The question is whether you and I will let the current carry us along, or whether we'll let God renew our minds and empower us to swim against this negative world, showing a watching world a different way of living.

Reflection: Where in your life have you been drifting downstream with the culture instead of letting God transform your thinking?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that it is so easy to be negative when I look at the world around me. Renew my mind today. Help me see that as a child of God, I am alive by Your Spirit. Empower me to swim against this current. Help me to be light in a dark place. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13