Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a box? As if the person who you currently are, is all you’re expected to be? Maybe you’re a stay-at-home mom; who would expect you to start your own business? Maybe for difficult reasons you never graduated from high school. After all these years, who’s expecting you to go to college? Or just maybe, you’ve gained quite a bit of weight over the years. The extra weight has stuck around for so long. Who’s expecting you to lose it?
The crazy thing is, that box is invisible. It isn’t even real. No one has actually placed us in a box, and yet, we often feel very stuck. We often feel as if we’ve been swallowed up in a very large box, and there’s no way out of it.
We even blame others for putting us in the box. But how can anyone put you in a box, that doesn’t exist?
The truth is, we all have the capacity to change. The capacity to “climb out of the box.” What the real question is, is are we willing to?
The Truth about Change
Change can be scary, can’t it? You live a certain way for so long, you just get used to it. You get used to being the person you’ve always been. The person everyone else seems comfortable with.
But change is a form of growth, and growth is a form of maturity. Change isn’t just a good idea, it’s actually something we’re supposed to do.
We’re supposed to evolve and learn new things. We’re supposed to allow ourselves new experiences. We were meant to accomplish hard and difficult things. It’s how we continuously improve ourselves and set the stage to become role models and mentors for our children and the generations coming up behind us.
Change can be good and healthy; even when it’s scary.
Of course, this is not an advocation to start making foolish and rash decisions in your life. Good and healthy change is always seeped in wisdom.
The Road to Change
Change is often a journey. Whether you’re seeking to lose weight, change your current career path, start a business, or enroll in college, you’ll find that it’s a process. It doesn’t always happen overnight. The bigger the goal, the longer the journey.
Staying the course will require a few things from you:
· The courage to continue on, when you’re confronted by discouragers and naysayers. They may mean well, but if you’re not grounded in confidence, and stand firm in courage, their discouragement and lack of approval will stiffen you.
Sometimes, what others consider too radical or impossible to accomplish, are really just things that require someone, who is willing to step out in courage and faith. We all have the ability to do hard and challenging things, unfortunately, only some of us will have the courage to actually do it.
Their fears and their doubts, do not have to become yours.
· The determination to stay the course, amidst obstacles and setbacks.
Wouldn’t it be so nice if the road to change, to reaching our big goals was just roses and success? Unfortunately it isn’t, but I’m sure you already knew that.
You will face hardships, challenges, and setbacks. What you need to remember is, these are hurdles to overcome, they were never meant to be immovable roadblocks.
A great example of succumbing to an obstacle, can be found in the Bible, in the book of Numbers.
By the time we get to chapter 13, God has long promised the Israelites that they would inherit the promised land, a land overflowing with Milk and Honey.
He assured them He was giving them the land; all they had to do was go and fight for it; but He would give them victory.
So, Moses sent out twelve spies from amongst the Israelites to go and survey the land. They didn’t want to go in blind, they wanted to have a good grasp of the lay out of the land. They not only wanted to see how wonderful this promised land was, they also wanted to see who they were going up against.
Makes sense, right?
But when they came back from exploring the land, to give their report to the rest of the community, only two of the spies remained determined to stay the course. The remaining men no longer saw victory as an option. They only saw the obstacles, became fearful, and decided that it was an immovable setback.
“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’ And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, ‘The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size’” (Numbers 13:30-32).
They were faced with an obstacle, and decided the road to change, a new prosperous land to call their own, was no longer possible.
If you aren’t cemented in the determination to get from where you currently are, to where you hope to be, like the ten spies who lacked the courage or determination to press on, you will remain exactly where you are.
If change is what you really want, keep your focus on the possibilities, not the problems.
The Benefits of Change
Making the decision to change any area of your life, for the betterment of yourself, or your loved ones, will not be without sacrifice. Depending on what your goals are you may have to sacrifice your time, your money, or something else of value to you.
But what you get back in return, will always far outweigh the sacrifices.
Some of the benefits you can look forward to experiencing when you set out to change your life are:
Peace of mind
Increased joy
Satisfaction in your accomplishments
Becoming an example and inspiration for others
Immense gratitude
Greater confidence
Improvements in various areas of your life
Acknowledgement and accolades
Having the audacity to change your life is no small thing, and it won’t come easy. But if you stay the course, press on in courage, in spite of discouragement and setbacks, you will achieve your goal, and you will reap the benefits.
“Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always]
the same yesterday and today and forever”
(Hebrews 13:8).
One of the things I love about Jesus, is knowing I can trust Him perfectly. He doesn’t change. The Son of God that He is today, the Prince of Peace that He is today, the Savior of the world that He is today, has always been, and will never change. That’s comforting.
Things in my life may be unstable or unpredictable at times, but the Lord I serve and put my trust in can always be counted on to be loving, good, just, and perfectly true to His Word; even in the midst of hard and difficult seasons.
How about you? Have you placed your trust and confidence in Jesus? If so, even during fearful and challenging times, remember that He is with you, that He is good, and that He loves you more than you could ever imagine.
If you haven’t placed your trust and confidence in Jesus, I encourage you to get to know Him. Read and study the books of Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke, affectionately known as the gospels; and learn all about this perfect and unchanging Savior of the world, who loves you perfectly and completely, right now, even if you don’t yet love Him back.
Now, let’s go and pursue peace.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s blog! I enjoy sharing content that help women live a life they truly love, because I know what it’s like to be living your life, but not loving your life. I know what’s it’s like to pour all of yourself into others, while your passions and your purpose remains unfulfilled.
I wrote my new book, Building Your Life from the Ground Up and Creating a Life You Love, to come alongside the woman who feels like something is missing in her life, who feels like she wants more out of life, but doesn’t even know where to begin to bring about those changes.
If that sounds like you, I invite you to sample my new book, Building Your Life from the Ground Up and Creating a Life You Love. You can find it here:
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