Renewing our minds so that we don't have to have an existential crisis

Have you ever come across someone who reminds you (uncomfortably enough) of yourself? Not necessarily in a negative way, but perhaps someone has similar passions, similar mannerisms, even similar features. And then you are faced with that moment of comparison - how am I different from this person? What makes me worth something compared to them? I find it even in the more trivial things; consider a strong attachment to your favorite book - in my case, when I come across another Tolkien fan I invariably start the comparisons running through my mind. And if my identity is resting in what I'm able to accomplish and be (even if it be my knowledge of Tolkien), then I may find the biting sting of jealousy, or insecurity, or just plain weariness of "me."

There are all sorts of situations where we find our existence under question. And even today I've been reminded of the absolute necessity of grounding ourselves, our hopes, our being, our worth, our past, our future, our everything - in the person of Jesus Christ. The way to fight insecurity about who we are is truly to cast ourselves on Him. And the way to fight existential insecurity in our daily existence is to participate in Paul's command that we "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds"! (Romans 12:1-2) We must begin and continue in changing what we think and how we think, so that we conform to Him.

Lloyd-Jones' thoughts are very helpful:

The principle is that in the Kingdom of God everything is essentially different from everything in every other kingdom. For, He says in effect, the Kingdom of God is not like that which have always known, it is something quite new and different. The first thing we have to realize is that 'if any man be in Christ he is a new creature (he is a new creation), old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." If only we realized as we should, that here we are in a realm in which everything is different! The whole foundation is different, it has nothing to do with the principle of the old life. We have to work this out in detail, but first let me underline again that new principle. We must say to ourselves every day of our lives: 'Now I am a Christian, and because I am a Christian I am in the Kingdom of God and all my thinking has got to be different. Everything here is different. I must not bring with me those old ideas, those old moods and concepts of thought'. We tend to confine salvation to one thing, namely to forgiveness, but we have to apply the principle throughout the Christian life.

(Lloyd-Jones Spiritual Depression, 128-9)

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