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

A writer once told the story of a wealthy family whose interior decorator suggested placing an ornate fancy hanging bird cage under a stairwell to fill in the empty space. The family said they did not want a bird, but the decorator sold them by lining the bars of the cage with beautiful flowers. The family loved the placement of the ornate cage, but after several weeks they called the decorator back and said they can no longer look at the ornate bird cage without seeing an actual bird so they asked the decorator to please get them a bird for the cage.

The family’s no-bird resistance changed because every time they saw the cage, they were forced to think about a bird being there. What we think upon becomes what we act upon. So the lesson of this story is that we must be careful about our thoughts because they will certainly become our actions.