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.

“A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition;” this is the William Arthur Ward quote on my fridge above the ice machine, a Mary Engelbreit calendar clipping. Next to it is Mary’s colored pencil sketch of a boy flat on his back in deep snow. The boy smiles at the gray sky. I always pair the quote with the boy, and I believe the sentiment. But the cloudy days stack up, season after season, year after year. I’m generally hopeful, so why do I feel so blue?

It’s science that our brains are retrainable, and routinely swapping negative thoughts for positive ones develops within us the skills necessary for coping with life. It’s universally acknowledged that meditation is good medicine for the soul-weary. But why do depression and anxiety rates still climb? Are we doing it wrong? What are we missing? If what we subscribe to is a mere pattern of this world, we’ll end up empty and aimless every time. Jesus offers an alternative.

Jesus offers soul-deep change. Like modern psychology, he says you can “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2), but unlike modern methods, the transformation Jesus cultivates in our minds guarantees more than an improved attitude. It results in more than the skills necessary for coping with life. It lasts longer than the good medicine of meditation. His transformation gives our everyday, ordinary lives soul-deep meaning. On our cloudiest days, and far into eternity, we matter.

I may not understand every storm that passes my way, but the One who does walks with me. He reminds me, hour by hour, that his plan is good, pleasing, and complete. Am I listening? Am I tuning in to him? That’s where the renewal of the mind happens. In daily fellowship with Jesus, season after season, year after year, our minds are renewed. We are transformed. We can do more than smile at the gray skies. Our souls can hold fast to hope, no matter how we feel.

Heavenly Father, you are faithful, and I confess my lack of faith. Give me the eyes to perceive your presence and the ears to hear your voice in the storms of life. Transform me by renewing my mind and give me insight into your plan. Keep my soul anchored in hope more reliable than a sunny feeling. In Jesus’ name, amen.