I ran a state level campaign years ago for a candidate who was the most difficult candidate with whom I ever worked. This candidate had a full blown, high maintenance/diva personality, and really needed to tone it down. The job I was hired to do was to teach this candidate how to be a candidate. I was not only the campaign manager, you could somewhat say I was a babysitter. The race was considered a “shoe in” win. It was a 97% Republican district so there was no way this candidate could lose. My job was to teach the candidate how to campaign, how to fundraise, how to interact with people, and how to prepare for office, as well as learning the ins and outs of campaigning for the “bigger” seat the party had in mind for this particular candidate, down the road.
When I was first called to meet the candidate at the party headquarters, I did not want to do it. Not even a little. This candidate was obstinate, arrogant, combative and I did not see any good out of my running the campaign, so I turned it down.
Twice.
But the third time, the head of the party asked me to please consider this as an opportunity to help “change” this candidate. He asked me to bring my experience to help this candidate realize how the things they did and words they said were so out of line. “Teach them how to be better. Teach them humility. This won’t be easy, but I think you can do it,” I was challenged.
Y’all know good and well my young, stubborn self said, “Alright. I’ll take it.”
If acts of stubbornness were a sport, I would have a wall covered in gold medals.
The candidate did not change. In fact, the candidate became far worse.
As I look back on those days of that particular campaign, I can’t help but think of my role to help “change” this candidate and to teach them how to be better. On the one hand, I failed, miserably. This person continued to be unkind and somewhere not just out in left field, but standing in the wrong ballpark, entirely; still yelling at everyone in sight. The candidate continued to be obstinate, arrogant, combative, and unwilling to change.
But here is the lesson I learned: I could not change this person. In fact, I cannot change anyone. Only God can change someone, and we as people have to allow the change.
“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.” - Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Each time I think back to that particular campaign and the hatefulness this candidate portrayed, I shake my head in disbelief. Want to know something worse? I fear The Holy Spirit shakes His head in disbelief at me, too.
You see, it would be so easy to “jump on the bandwagon” with the crowd mentality at times. (Conform to the pattern of this world). I could easily justify saying or doing certain things because, well look! Everyone else is doing it!
But I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Every moment of every day. I don’t want to be like everyone else, anymore.
It would break my heart to think The Holy Spirit looks at me the way I looked at that candidate. Stubborn. Obstinate. Arrogant. Unwilling to change.
I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. And it is a slow, daily process. But I am happy to admit I am not nearly as wise or strong as my Jesus is. So if He will renew my mind, daily, hourly, minute by minute … I will gladly yield to Him.