Purple Bracelets

Did you buy your purple bracelet yet?

If you haven’t heard, there’s a man named Will Bowen who’s pastor of Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, Missouri; he’s developed a concept for combating negative thinking. It’s called “A Complaint Free World.” What a wonderful idea. Wouldn’t we all love to live in a society where we wouldn’t have to listen to people whine? Probably most of us need to take inventory of our own negativity and try to overcome it.

Bowen’s “cure” for complaining involves the purchase of a purple bracelet, which you can buy from his church. You place the bracelet on your wrist and every time you have a negative thought or you catch yourself complaining about something, you switch the bracelet to your other wrist. The goal is to go twenty-one days (the amount of time it takes to establish a habit) without needing to switch the bracelet. People are very excited about this “revolutionary” new concept – over five million bracelets have been sold thus far.

But wait, what’s wrong with this picture?

Jesus says, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Mat. 12:34, emphasis mine). If the words of my mouth are negative complaints, are my words the problem or is my heart the problem? Can I change my heart by changing what I do or say, or must it be the other way around?

Oh, I think we’re awfully funny sometimes. We chase after all kinds of new ideas in the pursuit of self-improvement; we honestly believe a purple bracelet is the answer. But as always, God has the answer right in his Word. Do you need to change? Read Romans 12:2; “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Change comes from the inside out. When we change (renew) our mind by developing an intimate relationship with our savior through prayer and studying His Word, we’ll find that negativity just isn’t a part of who we are.

God bless you as you continue to pursue Him and experience true transformation.

Blessings,
Lisa