As I sat and waited in the counselor’s office full of people waiting, I knew I needed help but didn’t fully comprehend to what extent at the time. Then, after I was called on and sat down to rattle off all the reasons why I was there, it suddenly hit me that this process I was embarking on wasn’t going to be an easy one. My sense was it would be grueling and probably one of the most challenging personal undertakings I had ever intentionally pursued. Guess what? I was right. For me, saying “yes” to God, surrendering my life to Him, and letting Him take me through the most grueling, excellent, healing, transformational process of my life has not been easy. It has taken a lot of time. However, the beauty of the new life He has given me far outweighs the challenging process, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Don’t get me wrong. There have been casualties, as in, people and friends that have not understood or accepted how I’ve changed. They liked the old me better. Some relationships I had before God changed my life will never be the same; other relationships have stayed the same. I’ve since learned how to accept the reality that not everyone in my life will understand or accept the way I’ve changed, and that’s ok.
We can compare our spiritual journey in life to the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Our previous moral and spiritual condition passes away when we are reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Our old ways, desires, and lusts begin to fade as the Spirit begins to conquer everything within us that hinders our new life in Christ that is emerging. The Spirit helps us overcome what we cannot overcome on our own, and a new spiritual awakening occurs, which brings a brand-new life we’ve never experienced. The person we used to be, passes away, and we are a new creation—just like a caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
The transformation we undergo as we let go of our “old” selves and embrace our new life in Christ is a process that usually takes a lot of time and hard work. One thing to be aware of as you go through this change is that not everyone will understand your process. Not everyone will accept it either. One of the essential pieces of the process is being ok with that. Dr. Caroline Leaf said it perfectly when she wrote, “Part of the healing journey is finding peace with the fact that not everyone close to you will understand or even accept the change, transformation and work you are doing because they are more comfortable with the former version of you. That’s ok. It’s not your job to help them understand. It’s your job to focus on your healing. Those who matter will accept the change and try to understand.”
Has God brought you through a process of transformation in your life? Have you ever felt the need to help your friends understand or accept the change you have gone through because they are showing you in different ways that they are more comfortable with the older version of you? I want to challenge you today to make peace with the fact that not all your friends are going to understand what you’ve gone through. Not all of them are going to accept the “new you,” and that’s ok. Continue to focus on your healing and the transformation process that God is bringing you through. As you do that, He will bring people into your life that love you, accept you, seek to understand you and cheer you on.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving me enough to accept me as I am and for loving me enough not to leave me that way. Thank you for the brand-new life you’ve given me. It hasn’t been easy to navigate at times because there have been occasions where I’ve felt so misunderstood by certain people in my life because of how I’ve changed, but I know you are at work in those situations. I trust that you will work everything out in your time and in your way. Would you please help me be at peace, knowing that not everyone will understand or accept the “new” me? Amen.
Featured Image by Hervé Lagrange from Pixabay
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