There was a time, not too long ago, that I was a part of this world. Right now the world population is 8,069,574,942 , that means there are over 8 billion of me out there. The bad news is that also represents how much control I have over what happens in the world. I have a 1/8,09,574,942 influence on what happens in the world. CRAZY! The good news is my influence improves as I shrink my world. If I focus only on my country, I have a 1/360,597,594 influence on what happens in my country. I can do better if I shrink down to my state, that gives me a 1/8,626,210 influence of what’s happening in Virginia. What happens when I shrink it down to my community? At that point I have a 1/6,700 influence. Not bad. I got an idea, stay with me now. What if, just a thought, I focused on my wife and kids? Doing that increased my influence tremendously, 1/7 to be exact. That is nearly 15% percent of influence. I can work with that!
I trust you get the point. There is wisdom in the message “Be in the world, but not of the world” It is a phrase that’s heard a lot in Christian subculture. It refers to what Jesus said as recorded by one of His close friends in John 17:14. This concept is also talked about later in the New Testament by the famous convert Paul not to be conformed by the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This pearl comes from the book of Romans in the year 56. Pretty good advice for the year 2023, if you ask me. If the world is shaping you: Stop and start shaping it.
My advice, start by shrinking it. That is shrink until you feel you have some control. You may find yourself in a field somewhere praying … or screaming. Or, if you’re like my friend, you may find yourself on a bike as you cycle from San Francisco to Virginia Beach. No, he is not a competitive cyclist. At the time, he was a cattle farmer in his 40’s that had an overwhelming desire to shrink. I personally would recommend the other options but I suppose it all depends on the shrinkage required. This brings up another point: The longer the delay in action; the greater the effort required. I am sure this is some law of Thermodynamics, but I’m not a Physics guy.
When the word “world” is used in the New Testament, it’s a translation of the Greek word cosmos. “Cosmos” most often refers to the planet earth and its human inhabitants. Warning: Humans are … well … Human. Before you start worrying obviously about them, stop. That’s it … just STOP. This is always the thing to do when you are lost, confused, overwhelmed, swamped, disoriented, befuddled. Take your pick!
What I focus on most is the “transforming through renewing of the mind.” Staying with the world shrinking; the mind is renewed by changing the focus. I start by getting small. I move from being consumed by the worries of the many to the worries of the few (7 to be exact).
OK, here’s the problem. The brain does not do this automatically. In fact, it does the opposite. It has this annoying habit of doing the same thing the tongue does when you have sore spot in your mouth.
The control NEEDS to come from the inside, if not, you’re never truely at peace.
You what to know what the problem is with Freewill? It’s … its free will. It puts the responsibility back in our laps. Opponents to the idea that we are responsible, don’t want to be held reponsible. What really tickles me is how humans enjoy boosting about good behavior (taking resonsibiilty) and separate themselves from bad behavior (denying responsibility). This seems to be evidence of free will, buts that’s an argument for another day.
The choice is yours, as in you choose how to think, act, and talk. You are responsible for what you think, act, and speak. A fool looks for any reason to escape responsibility. A wise person looks for each opportunity to take control. What is easily ignored in the beginning is painfully obvious in the end. It is typically at the end of the story that a fool gets a clue. Unless you’re four years old, don’t blame others for your actions. Life is a reflection of those thoughts, deeds, and words that create the story of you. Not me, I got my own story. If you are not happy with your current location; YOU are the one that is responsible for moving. There is always people that will help you move, but you have to choose to move.
I will leave you with a therapists joke.
(Q) How many therapist does it take to change a lightbulb?
(A) ONE! But the lightbulb has to want to change.
Reluctant Therapist 