God has changed my life--not just at salvation, but in so many ways since then. He has enabled me to overcome insecurities and fears, wrong attitudes and perspectives, he's taken my feet out of the mud and put them on a rock. I guess that's why it troubles me when Christians have a "this is just the way I am" attitude. God can help us to live an abundant, overcoming, victorious, beautiful life! This bit from Debra's archives blessed my heart. I tried to link to the post, but I couldn't figure out how, so I hope it's OK to put it all here. Just be sure you check out her whole blog. It's an inspration.
"That's Just the Way I Am"
Oh my... You will never hear me say the words, "That's just the way I am."
But I used to say them all the time. I was even a little proud to say them.
God would come along and say (through the Bible, people, books, songs, Life situations and my heart), "I can free you from that depression, you know."
And I would reply, "Oh, that's just the way I am."
Other times He'd say, "If you'll listen to Me, I can free you from the way you tend to bite Tom's head off and worry about Naomi."
And yes, I'd say, "But that's the way I've always been. You can't change that, can you?"
He'd try over and over... "I can help you not complain so much.... or be offended at church people... or think things must always go your way or else they're wrong."
Yeah, again... "But Lord, that's just the way I am."
But now, oh my.... I'd almost rather die than say, "That's just the way I am."
It took me 30 years (I am so slow sometimes) to discover that "That's just the way I am," is like smacking a helping hand...
...it's like slamming a door...
...not believing in miracles or truth...
...labeling myself as unchangeable...
...pressing my fingers, hard, against God's mouth...hushing Him...
...telling Him, "You can't help me!"...
...and giving-up and going back home to darkness.
It's like blacking-out and burning this Bible promise, "He whom the Son has set free is free, indeed."
Free indeed... The inside, outside, upside-down kind of freedom.
Free indeed... It exists. It is real.
And for me, it began when I stopped saying and stopped believing, "That's just the way I am."
***
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" ... II Corinthians 5:17
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