"New Year…Same Old, Same Old!"

It's about this time of year, when the confetti has settled, the lines at the gym are winding down and it  could begin to feel...well...a lot like last year.  I believe we have the best of intentions at the start of the year! We  genuinely want to be the best version of ourselves, we want to experience our best year yet, we are tired of the 'same old, same old'. It's so easy to fall in to the trap of desiring external change while ignoring where the real change is actually needed: our mindset.

Have you ever watched the BIGGEST LOSER? It's a tv show where people who are obese undergo strenuous work out routines and a drastic change in their diet. After all the hard work and effort that they put in, they then get to present their NEW BODIES for all of the world to see! The one who looses the most body fat wins. The only problem is...  most of them have admitted to gaining all the weight back!  Once all the imposed workouts and dietary restrictions were removed it wasn't long before they were experiencing 'the same old, same old'. Or maybe you've heard of the many examples of people who have suddenly won millions of dollars playing the lottery only to end up filing for bankrupcy years later. The problem is there was an external change (they suddenly got rich) but they didn't have the mindset and habits to sustain it. What happens if you gain wealth but you still have a broke mentality and poor spending habits? It won't be long before you end up right back in the place you came from.

Maybe you've experienced this in your own life, being tired of the 'same old, same old' you're convinced that what you need is a vacation, or a new job, or a new relationship! None of these things are bad but you can be on a vacation (with the same old mindset) and feel stressed out, unsatisfied and negative. You can have a new job (with the same old mindset) and still feel purposeless and  tired. You can be in a relationship (with the same old mindset) and feel frustrated and unloved. Maybe what needs to change isn't your circumstances...maybe it's just your mindset.

The good news is mindsets can change. We can choose what we think on, which thoughts we will and won't entertain. Before you look for external change ask yourself what is it that's really going on internally? What mindsets and thoughts have contributed to where you find yourself presently? This is indeed a new year and even if things outwardly look 'the same' the truth is You Can Be Different. You can gain a new perspective and shift your mindset so that even if you're going in to a new year with the same job, the same marital status; your vision and perspective can be entirely different.

So how do you change mindsets? Well if you know me you know I love God and I love His word.  Romans 12:2 is a popular verse that says "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind".  The Message translation of the bible puts it like this "Don't be so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit in to it without thinking. Instead fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out". I love it!! You can adopt new mindsets by seeking wisdom and gaining truth but more than that God is able to make you NEW! His word says If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation the old has gone , the new is here (2Corinthians 5:17). I am a witness! It's not about obeying a bunch of rules or hitting a bunch of goals to become 'good enough'. It's about a relationship with God through Jesus that will change your heart and transform your life. If someone were to tell me 5 years ago Sherina you need to abstain from sex before marriage, go to church on Sundays, stop swearing  and  then you can go to heaven ; I would have flat out rejected the offer I wasn't interested and didn't feel that I was able. But because I encoutered Christ because I accepted Him in to my heart, my life has been changed, and I am changed. He is who I desire. Everything else comes out of that! Now I find myself doing all the things I thought I couldnt because I am a new creation. So my friend I am glad you're reading this, my prayer for you is that in this new year it's you that would be made new.