Change Is Always Possible
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
An easy way to determine if you are bitter is if you believe people don’t change. Faith in God is based on the promise of change. Hate emerges when we give up on the hope found in the potential for positive transformation. God has no room for hate because God sees the opportunity for blessed conversion in each self. When you believe change is possible, you can take someone’s nasty actions and be hurt, frustrated, or even disillusioned, but you can still hold out hope that God will transform their life and change their reality and ours.
In “The Mistakes of a Past Self Can Be Difficult to Forgive,” Brad Stennerson, Ph.D., affirms from a scientific standpoint that “Our identities go through profound transformations reminiscent of a Pokemon evolution chart, undergoing reinvention after reinvention as we move through life.” Some of our reinventions took us to improved growth in our relationships with others and God. Some of our reinventions turned out to be less productive. We could have hurt ourselves, others, or our relationship with God. Negative change can keep us from hope because if we do not change, we may not hurt ourselves or others.
We may refuse to change because it could be painful or negatively multiply the ache. When we do not move forward, we quickly wallow. To move forward and create positive, faithful transformation, we must reflect on our past selves to learn and grow. Through reflection on the past, we can learn how to avoid mistakes in the future and allow God to guide us forward faithfully.
Today, name the different selves you have been in your life. Think of the positive attributes and thank God for molding those characteristics. Then, honestly reflect on the negative moments within each self. Do not beat yourself because we all fall short of the glory of God. Learn from the imperfect moments, then let them go, knowing you took what was necessary. Then, prayerfully ask God to guide you as you and the Holy Spirit change your heart, mind, and soul.