Bodies and Minds

Romans 12:1-2 “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. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…..”

Bodies and minds. That’s what is on my mind as I sit in a Thai coffee shop today. An thin European lady, wrinkled, shoulder-length white hair pulled back in a pony tail, dressed in a simple cotton dress with butterflies printed all over it, sits outside smoking. Her husband (I presume) orders their coffees and walks around the art cafe taking photographs of all the decorations. I’m more taken with the beautiful plants scattered about the cafe than with the artwork.

“Smoking is not good for you,” I think, though don’t say to the lady. But I can’t talk, as I blob here, casually caffeinating my body. 

Bodies and minds – that is the topic of this blog post. 

In a class on spiritual formation which I took a few years ago, the lecturer kept saying, “It’s what is below the waterline that counts.” He was talking about boats, of course, and the importance of keeping them clean of barnacles and rust. He likened that to our spiritual lives. Today, though, as I sit in this inland city looking out through the roots of plants which are growing in water, it seems to me that the same truth applies. 

It’s all about what is below the waterline, or, usually, for plants, what is below the soil. It’s about our roots. Specifically, it is about how we are rooted in Christ. But I get ahead of myself……

Bodies – our responsibility

In Romans 12:1, Paul writes, ‘Therefore … in view of God’s mercy … offer your bodies as a living sacrifice … to God….”   

It is tempting to write a paragraph on the ‘therefore’. A teacher long ago taught me, “Whenever you see a therefore, look to see what it is there for.”  However, to do so would make this post too long. Suffice to say that Paul has just finished writing a brilliant doxology about God’s mercy before he begins this paragraph. 

Offering my body as a living sacrifice assumes all sorts of visible things. Living a healthy lifestyle is obvious. You won’t see me sitting outside a cafe puffing on a cigarette … but I admit that you may see me inside putting too much sugar and fat into my body. Offering my body as a living sacrifice involves watching my words, sometimes saying what needs to be said even though the topic is something I would rather avoid. It also includes how I use the resources I have been given of health, time, money, education, abilities, networks and more.

The way I act, the words I say, the choices I make – these are all things which are ‘above the waterline’. They are like the stems and leaves of the delightful plants in this cafe. They are visible to anyone who looks. But there is a lot happening below the waterline too. 

Minds – God’s responsibility 

In Romans 12:2, Paul writes, “… be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” He uses the passive tense – transformation is done to us. He does not write, “transform yourself” although we are instructed to “… not conform to the pattern of this world…”. 

It’s like what is happening beneath the waterline for the plants. The roots of the plants – the stuff of the mind – are parts we don’t usually see. But there is a lot happening there. 

The Greek word for what has been translated as ‘transformed’ is ‘metamorphoo’, ‘meta’ meaning ‘change’ and ‘morphoo’ meaning ‘form’. It is the same word from which we get the English word ‘metamorphosis’.  My mind boggles when I think of the way that grubby caterpillars spin cocoons and morph into beautiful butterflies. In the same mind-boggling way, the spirit of God renews our minds, causing us to morph into transformed beings.

The pressure is off … and on

I’m not responsible for transforming my mind. The pressure is off.

I am responsible for offering my body as a living sacrifice to God. The pressure is on.

Of course, thinking and actions are closely related just like the parts of the plant below the waterline (or the soil) can’t be separated from the parts which are above. The roots take up moisture and nutrients to feed the leaves, while photosynthesis occurring in the leaves feed the roots.

As I leave the cafe, I smile at the older lady clothed in a dress covered with a butterfly print. She smiles back. She will never know how her dress sparked my thoughts today, because my mind is part of ‘what is below the waterline’. My smile is all she sees. For a brief moment, our lives connect – two strangers in a city far from home.

Bodies and minds … my responsibility and God’s … what is above and what is below the waterline … these are the matters before me today. In a sense, it is liberating – I don’t have to be responsible for renewing my mind. There is plenty that I am responsible for, though, including writing up this meandering meditation on Paul’s words to the Romans. I wonder if they grew plants in glass jars of water as objects of art back then?  

Romans 12:1-2 “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. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…..”