Reflections on Brokenness Post 6 – Time to Change Your Mind?

I’ve been expressing throughout this series that Lent is an appropriate time to do some soul-searching. We ought to connect with our pain and the pain of others, seek forgiveness and reconciliation and examine the things that perhaps God has been trying to show us.

Among the questions that I have scribbled in my notebook is “What do I need to change my mind about?”
Like most of these questions, these are a bit scary in some way.

Changing our minds implies that we’ve been living either inappropriately or erroneously. There is this mode of thinking that says “I’m in too deep to change my mind on this.” or “If I change my mind, or show weakness in my position, “So and So” will say, ‘I told you so’ or ‘This is what I’ve been telling your for years!'”

Those are terrible reasons not to reconsider positions, opinions, beliefs and postures that are either hurting others (not to mention ourselves) or not helping others (not to mention ourselves). As one who appreciates nuance and complexity, I’ll be the first to say that it’s not a switch you flip.

I wish every time I changed my mind it was because it was based on “new information that changed everything” and so I “realized” and I felt “released” to believe in something even greater and this was something the we all celebrated. But many times, changing our mind has more to do with looking at the same arguments not only with different eyes, but with a different heart and this requires a good deal of humility.

Changing our mind requires that we not only reexamine the data but confront our motivations and maybe our pride.

For instance, I found encouragement in Franklin Graham’s apology to President Obama last week.
Is it possible that he will make the same mistake again?
Is it possible that all of this was a ploy for attention (making the mistake so he could apologize so he could gain favor with those that differ and with those in the middle)
Is it possible that Franklin and his team chalked this up as a learning experience in dealing with the President and not much has changed at all?
Or is it possible that this learning experience has caused them to hear from God and this has changed many things?

On a different note, I find it so ironic that the great Billy Graham was a trusted advisor to several Presidents from Truman to Obama and until last week, it may have been likely that Franklin was not welcomed in the White House. Conservatives should perhaps changing their minds in how they choose to fight the culture war but that’s another story for another day.

What is that we as Christ-followers need to change our mind on? There are many reasons to stay the course, there are many rational consolations to remain set on our ways, but there may be a God-given reason to change.

The Apostle Paul talks about the “renewing of our minds” in Romans 12 and Colossians 3 talks about the ongoing transformation from the “old self” to the “new self”. It’s unlikely that any of us have already arrived. So this Lent, let’s ask the Lord what we need to change our minds about?