In Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, Lewis talks about several areas of Christianity and challenges his readers to take up a Christian lifestyle that he describes. Much of what Lewis says is hard to live out and has caused me to open my eyes and examine my life. The Christian mind is a central topic of Mere Christianity and teaches us to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" as Romans 12:2 says.

            First, Lewis addresses the importance of having genuine, concrete faith. He says, "The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change. The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day." As Christians, we must make sure that we know our faith is real and is not going to change with our moods. We have to challenge ourselves and ask, "Do I really believe this or is it just going with how I feel under the circumstances or at the moment?", and we have to exercise our faith by practicing what we believe and studying it. Additionally, Lewis goes on to say that with our faith we have to realize how short we fall, and that we cannot give back to God anything that is not already his. This realization brings the Christian mind in two directions. The Christian mind is humbled because it fails but is still accepted, and at the same time, it must continue to give God its all while not reaching the perfection that we are to strive for. Our faith is the base for our Christian minds and how our minds are going to deal with what we are faced each and every day, and Lewis provides great examples of how our minds are challenged and taught.

            Moreover, our faith must lead into Christian lifestyles that should be in our minds but must be lived out. Lewis says, "All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in." This is a difficult trial that Christians must face and accomplish; this quote hit me hard because seeing it in words convicted me and showed me that I knew the truth in it but had been sidestepping it. In our minds, each and every day we must establish and put God's desires above our natural desires and then live that out. Also, Lewis tells us to pretend to be Christ, to act as "little Christs". As we pretend to be Christ and constantly try to act as Christ would, eventually we will find ourselves naturally following the example that Christ set for us during His time on earth. Christians must represent their faith in the way they live, and much of how we live is how we think and decide and establish things in our mind beforehand.

            In conclusion, the Christian mind has many, many things to weigh and carry. Main points include the significance and value of having a true faith that we will not part with or compromise. Also, our lives model what is in our minds, and as Christians we absolutely must carry out the arduous and demanding transformation of thinking of God's desires before our own. If we train our minds to be changed and decide how to act now it will be much easier for us down the road.