Transformation Takes Time

Growth and change are a big part of life. In fact, without change we’ll never truly enjoy our lives and become everything God has created us to be.

I think one of the greatest lessons God ever taught me is that we can’t change ourselves—only God can help us grow and mature. How does he do it? Growth occurs when we spend time with the Lord and pursue a more intimate relationship with Him.

When we take time to read and study His Word, the Bible says we are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another... (2 Corinthians 3:18 AMPC).

God changes us in degrees—from glory to glory. Throughout our lives, He continues to work with us and helps us grow from one level to the next, gradually becoming more like Him. This means He’ll cause us to begin noticing things in our behavior that maybe we didn’t notice before. 

I’ll give you an example. I used to be very harsh, judgmental and critical. And when it came to my husband, Dave, there were times when I could be very rebellious or defiant in my tone with him.

I can remember so many times when Dave and I would get into an argument, then afterwards the Lord would speak to my heart and say, “I want you to go and apologize to him.” But God! I would think. He’s guilty, too. Why can’t he come and apologize to me?

It used to make me so mad that Dave could “get away with things” that I couldn’t.  But the truth is, the Lord deals with each one of us at different times about different things. I’m not responsible for Dave—I’m only responsible to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and obey what He shows me to do. 

So, this is what I do now when the Lord shows me an area that needs changing. I’ll pray:

“God, thank You for shining a light on this area. I know I need to change, but I also know You are the only One Who can change me. I’m relying on your grace and strength to help me as I do my best to obey what You’ve shown me.”

Growing and changing isn’t about trying to be perfect or earning God’s love and approval. However, the Lord loves you too much to let you stay where you are. I’ve learned that when God shows us an area of our life that needs to change, He’s doing it out of love—He loves us enough to help us change. 

Sometimes it’s easy to get frustrated with ourselves and think we’ll never change. I used to have bad habits and personality flaws that seemed impossible to fix...but it’s not impossible with God. 

That’s why it’s so important to never give up! During those times when you feel like you’re at your worst, God is working behind the scenes to help you change and rise to a new level. Remember, spiritual growth is a process. None of us “arrives” overnight, but little by little, God changes us and a makes us what we ought to be...He makes us more like Him. 

Pray: “Father, thank You for never giving up on me and for working in me daily to help me grow. I know I can’t change myself, but as I spend time in Your Word, I will slowly but surely see the results. Help me to embrace everything You show me…and help me to enjoy my journey even while I’m in the process of becoming more like You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”