Years ago, a friend and mentor, Dr. Bruce Bickel shared a concept with me that he referred to as Transformational Thinking. The premise of this idea is that most people let their feelings determine how they act, which in turn determines how they think.
Dr. Bickel’s encouragement to me and others was to first be guided by our thoughts, which will influence our actions, which will ultimately impact our feelings.
Dr. Bickel explained that this counter-cultural concept has its roots in the scripture passage Romans 12:1-2 which says,
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern 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.
I was reminded of this recently during my morning quiet time when I came across a passionate presentation on controlling our thoughts and speech by Allen Parr in which he presents a clever use of the anagram T-H-I-N-K to help manage this process.
When you have five minutes to spare, I hope you find his suggestions helpful. Happy New Year!
Q